Just Tell Me
by MagicAndSparklez
Summary: Tessa Gray just wants to be the perfect image of a lady. But, how perfect can you feel when you've been lied to and betrayed, by those you love? Story set sometime during Clockwork Prince. Kind of like an alternate version to Clockwork Prince... With Wessa. (Rated 'T' for minor references/uses/mention to self-harm and disordered eating)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N.**

***Trigger Warning *****Self-harm **

****This may not be triggering in the slightest to some people, but I know it can be to some... If you don't have many issues with Self-harm, I wouldn't even worry too much about the warnings,**

**There are depressive themes in this story, there is also self-harming in this, and may be triggering for some, but, it may not be for others. It is my first story, I hope it's good.**

* * *

Tessa sat at the table in the London's Institute. Everyone was eating, talking and laughing, while Tessa sat silently next to Will, who was talking to Jem, who sat on his other side. Tessa looked at her plate, feeling less and less hungry as she thought about how tight her dress was feeling._ I need to be smaller..._

"Tessa dear," it was Charlotte, with a look of worry on her face, who pulled Tessa from her thoughts. "Are you going to eat? You've been locked up in your room all day. Surely you must be famished." Charlotte spoke softly. Tessa looked at her, _do you really care?_ she thought.

"No, it's fine. I'm not hungry." _I'm starving_.

"Right, and I'm a faerie, seriously Tessa? You have ate close to nothing all week." Jessamine sneered. Tessa shook her head, and looked to Jessamine.

"It's not that I haven't eaten. I just haven't been hungry." Tessa said, letting her gaze drop back down to her full plate.

"Not that I particularly like you," Will said, looking at Jessamine, "but, I must agree. Tessa hasn't really eaten all week." Will said his blue eyes focusing now on the grey ones beside him. Jem was next to speak up.

"Just let it alone. If she isn't hungry, she isn't going to eat." Jem said, glancing at Tessa, sympathetically.

"But she's lying!" Jessamine stood up. "Just look at her. You can tell she's lying just by looking at her eyes." Jessamine cried.

"I think it's time for you to go Jessie." Charlotte said, calmly. Jessamine turned around and started to walk away muttering something about_ 'not being a child'_ as she stormed out of the room. "Well, that's a bit better now, isn't it?" Charlotte said, to no one in particular. Everyone nodded, as they finished eating. Will appeared to be writing on something and Jem was silently whispering to Will.

_"...know why Jessie's so upset..."_ Tessa heard, along with a reply from Will, _"...used to be like that too." _ Jem nodded _"Right."_ He said.

"Umm, may I be excused?" Tessa said quietly, looking up at Charlotte, who was sitting across the table from Tessa.

"Of course, Tessa." Charlotte said calmly as she stood up from her own seat. Just as Tessa stood up, Will grabbed her hand and slipped a piece of paper, in it.

"Goodnight Tessa." Will said. She nodded and left.

* * *

When Tessa got back to her room, she flopped down on her bed, and pulled the note out of her sleeve, she had tucked it there when she passed Sophie in the hallway. She opened it up and read it

_'Meet me in the library tonight at 11:30. I need to talk to you.'_

Whatever Will could possibly wish to discuss with Tessa was a mystery, but she decided she would meet him later. She glanced at the clock, slowly ticking, on the wall. _9:47_. She still had just under two hours. _What to do, what to do..._ Tessa thought as she looked to the top drawer where her blade hid _make me feel real_. Before she could move, there was a knock on the door. "May I come in, Miss Tessa?" _Sophie._ Tessa stood up and walked over to the door.

"What do you want?" Tessa said, surprised by the sharpness in her voice, as she opened the door. Sophie looked taken aback by Tessa's odd behaviour.

"Sorry, Miss. If it's a bad time, perhaps I could return later?" Sophie muttered as she began to turn around. Tessa grabbed her by the shoulder, before she could go.

"No, Sophie, it's fine. I'm sorry. I just feel... I just feel_ off_ today." Tessa apologized. Sophie turned back to face her and nodded. "So, what is it that you came for?"

"Mrs. Branwell asked me to give you this." Sophie said, handing a letter to Tessa.

"Who wrote it?" Tessa asked as she searched the folded paper for a name aside from her own.

"She did. Mrs. Branwell wrote it. She said that she's been meaning to talk to you but is _'so busy with everything else'_ and doesn't have time." Sophie said, Tessa nodded. "Well, goodnight then." Sophie said, turning on her heels and walking down the hall. Tessa walked back into her room, shutting the door behind her. She opened the letter as she sat on the edge of her bed. Taking a deep breath, Tessa began reading.

_Tessa, as head of the institute, it is my job to ensure that all of it's inhabitants are well cared for and content. it has been quite obvious you have not been too content living here, with you staying locked up in your chambers all day, and not eating properly. If there is anything you need, anything I can do for you, please let me know._  
_-Charlotte_

Tessa was slightly shocked at the letter._ So now I'm taking up her time with my problems. As if she isn't stressed enough,_ she thought. With all the thoughts and confusion of what's been going on lately, Tessa needed to release. She went over to her night stand and pulled out the blade. She pulled up her skirts revealing her scarred thighs. _One for being too big, _she thought as she looked at herself, dragging the blade across her thighs. _One for being a burden on everyone, _she thought about Charlotte, how she was always stressed, and Tessa now adding more onto Charlotte's mind. _"And the last for trusting everyone, too easily." _Tessa spoke aloud, thinking of Nate's betrayal, thinking of how she really thought he was on their side. And, she thought of Will, how much she really believed he loved her, then, how he dismissed her as no more than a distraction. She dragged the blade across her thigh, long and slow, feeling the pain sting her, but feeling her mind clear of the thoughts, she felt _alive_.

Once she came down a bit from her high, she let her skirts fall back down to the floor. She sat down on the edge of the bed, grabbing the note from Will and reading it again. She checked the time, 10:23. She thought of why Will would want to talk to her, after the way he dismissed her, after the way he treated her. Was this some kind of joke? He'd been nothing but rotten to her for the past while,_ but something in his expression seemed sincere _she thought, looking back on the day. _Maybe some rest will clear my head_, she thought, as she fell asleep.

* * *

Tessa bolted upright, panting heavily, sweat pasting her hair to her forehead. It was just a dream. _She had been in the midst of being out for a walk, alone, and was attacked. She had seen someone running to her in the distance, _Will. _Will._ She glanced at the clock. _11:26._ She quickly hopped out of bed, and started towards the door, gently opening it, and silently shutting it behind her as she went. She looked left then right, before stealthily bolting down the halls.

When she finally reached the library, there was no sign of Will. She walked around the large room, surely he was already here, Tessa thought. Giving up, she flopped down on one of the long sofas waiting for him to come. Not long after, she heard foot steps. "Tess?" The voice whispered. It was Will.

"Over here." Tessa said, lifting her arm lazily, signaling her location on the sofa. Will's footsteps started toward her. She sat up, making room for him to sit next to her, which he took. "What do you want?" She asked. Will frowned.

"Tess, I.. I've been worried about you." He said, looking down to the floor.

"There's nothing to worry about. I'm completely fine. I mean, sure, my brother betrayed me," Her voice cracked, "but, aside from that... I'm fine." Tessa said, tears slowly welling up in her eyes. Will looked up at her, a look of sadness on his face.

"No Tessa. You are not _fine_. In fact, I think you are the complete opposite of _fine_." Will said, sounding annoyed.

"What do you mean?" She asked, her voice slightly trembling.

"It's exactly that, Tess. Listen to yourself. You look like your on the edge of having a panic attack. You hardly come out of your room, you don't really talk to anyone, and you don't eat." He said, sounding _angry?_

"Well, why do you care? You have made it very clear of how you think of me! you have made it obvious that I am no more than a _distraction_ to you!" Tessa blurted out, breaking into tears. The look on Will's face, after hearing her words, was of pure hurt. He never thought that he could hurt someone so much. _Someone that he loved so much._

"I... Tess, I didn't mean it that way." Will said, Tessa locked eyes with him.

"Yes, you did." she said, as her tears ceased. As Will began to protest, she continued talking. "I really don't know why I'm even here right now. I shouldn't have come."

"Why?" Will asked, Tessa stood up and took a step away, but Will reached up and grabbed her hand, pulling her into his arms as he got to his feet. "Don't leave."

"And why shouldn't I?" Tessa asked, looking away, trying to free herself from Will's arms. Will looked at her, and something inside him clicked _I can't lose you_ he thought. _The Curse..._ torn, Will needed to think.

"Because I..." Could he do this? Could he risk losing her like this?

"Because what, _William?_" She spat his name out, like it were poison. Will sighed, _screw the Curse,_ he thought as the next words flooded from his mouth.

_"Because I love you."_ He said, quietly and quickly.

* * *

**A/N... So, this is my first FanFic I've ever published... like, ever... I would love if you could drop me a review... Should I continue this story? I really hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N. So here it is! chapter 2... This chapter will _not_ contain any reference to self-harming, as the previous chapter had... but it will however have mention of Tessa's disordered-eating (it's mainly what sparked it.)**** So, without further disruption... I give you, chapter two.**

* * *

"Because what, _William?_" She spat his name out, like it were poison. Will sighed, _screw the Curse,_ he thought as the next words flooded from his mouth.

_"Because I love you."_ He said, quietly and quickly. But, by the look on Tessa's face, she had most likely heard him. The silence that followed was deafening. Tessa's face was still in the same form as it had been, her mouth hanging open slightly, in shock, and her eyes wide, staring off at nothing. Slowly Will let his arms fall as Tessa backed away, sitting back down. Will began to grow nervous. "Say something, Tess." She closed her mouth and her eyes and sighed, leaning back into the cushions on the sofa, and put her hands over her face. "_Please._" Will pleaded. Tessa shook her head and put her hands on her lap, trying to regain her composure. She opened her eyes and looked at Will, taking a deep breath.

"No, you don't." Tessa said firmly. "No, Will, you don't love me. You _can't _love me." Tessa said, staring at Will's sad face.

"But I do, Tess. I..." Will's voice trailed off. _How can I tell her?_ he wondered. "I'm... I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I hurt you."

"Well, _'sorry'_ doesn't turn back time, Will. It doesn't make everything better." Tessa snapped. Will grabbed her hands, pulling her up, and close to him.

"Then tell me what _can_ make this better." Will asked, trailing one on his hands up her arm, cupping her cheek. "What can I do, Tess?" He stroked her cheek with his thumb. Tessa didn't want to say anything, didn't want to move.

"_Kiss me,"_ Tessa whispered. Will leaned down, pressing his lips to hers softly, as they both closed their eyes. Will's free arm wrapped around her waist, while Tessa, laid her arms lightly on his shoulders. Tessa began to feel light headed, unsure of why, she pushed back from Will. _"Stop."_ she said, weakly, as she sat down, yet again.

"Tess, what's wrong?" Will asked, concerned. Tessa looked as if she were about to faint. _She hasn't eaten all week, of course she is going to faint._ He thought as he sat down next to her. Tessa leaned into him, Will wrapped an arm around her. "Tess, are you alright?" Will asked, concerned.

"Yes. I'm fine." Tessa said weakly. Her eyes shut as she leaned heavier on him, as her head began to throb. "No. I'm not." If it hadn't been for Will holding her, she would have fallen forward, hitting the ground.

Tessa's body went limp beside Will, not sure of what to do, he scooped her into his lap. He idly stroked her hair, waiting for her to awake. _Surely she wouldn't be out too long, _he thought. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, and as he did, she began to stir. Tessa began mumbling unintelligibly, in her sleep. Will grew concerned and began to lightly shake her. "Tessa, wake up." he said, hoping for her to awaken.

She stopped her stirring, "_be thinner."_ was all she said, then, she was silent. _Thinner? _Will thought, _how could she want to be thinner?_ It struck him then, _that was why she wasn't eating._ Will wanted to wake her, but she looked so peaceful, as she slept. But, on the flip side, she hadn't eaten enough lately, and he didn't want anything bad to happen to her. So he continued, gently, shaking her, hoping to awaken her. Within several minutes, Tessa's eyes fluttered open. "Will?" she spoke weakly, still wrapped in his arms.

"Tessa, do you know where you are?" Will asked, he had heard something about people going unconscious and forgetting basic things.

"In the..." She looked around the room. "In the library. What happened?" She asked sleepily, readjusting her position, so that she was sitting upright, in Will's lap.

"You either fell asleep, rather abruptly I might add, or, you fainted." Will said, wrapping his arms around her waist, from behind her. "I'm going to go with the latter." he said.

"Why'd I pass out?" Tessa asked, her voice normal. She turned her head slightly, looking to Will.

"You haven't the slightest idea?" Will asked. Tessa just shook her head, her gaze returning away from him. Will sighed before speaking again. "Tess, I think you know why." Will said, unwrapping his arms from around her waist. She shook her head again, standing up. "Tessa, don't you even consider abandoning me here." Will stated. With a sigh, Tessa sat back down, next to Will.

She turned to face him. "What do you want?" She hissed.

"For you to open up to me? Tell me what's going on, Tess. _That's_ what I want." Will said as Tessa rolled her eyes at him, looking away. "Tessa, don't. I want you to tell me what's wrong." He lifted his hand to her cheek, turning her head back to face him. "_Please?_"

Tessa sighed. "Fine, what do you want to know?" She took his hand, guiding it down from her cheek, lacing her fingers with his.

"Why aren't you eating?" Will asked. Tessa's eyes widened.

"Well, that was rather abrupt, wasn't it?" She looked down, before looking pack up at his pleading eyes. "Well, if you _must know,_ I don't like looking like... well, _me._" She admitted, her eyes trailing back to the floor. "And don't just say that I can use my _power_ and change. No, I don't want that." She said, taking her free hand to tuck a loose piece of hair, behind her ear. "I just don't like the my looks, I guess."

"Why don't you? You're... Tessa, you're _beautiful._" Will said, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. Tessa opened her mouth to protest, but before she could say a word, Will continued. "You are beautiful, you are foolish, if you think otherwise." Will spoke softly, lifting their entwined hands and kissing hers.

"Then why'd you act the way you did." Tessa blurted out.

"You thought I said that, because I thought you were... un-attractive?" Will was astonished. Tessa glanced at him, before letting her gaze fall back to the floor and nodding. "Honestly, if it were anything, some people would find it a complement. But you..." Will smirked. Tessa looked at him holding his gaze. Seeing the tears in her eyes, he stopped. "No, I didn't mean that. I'm sorry." Will wiped away the tear off her cheek, "Tessa, you _are_ beautiful, no matter what I've said, no matter what _anyone's _said."

"Why do you keep doing this to me?" Tessa sobbed. _Doing what?_ Will wanted to ask, but them thought of the few times he _had_ kissed her, then, pushing her away moments later. _But, that was all before I told her I _love_ her._ He pondered the ideas of what he could say, but before he could say a word, Tessa spoke, her voice trembling. "You kiss me, you push me back. You talk to me, you ignore me. What's wrong with you?" Will went to reach out to her, but she recoiled from his touch. "Don't even _think_ about touching me." She spat, venomously.

"Tess, how can I make you understand? How can I _convince_ you of my love-"

"_Love?" _Tessa cut him off. "You don't even know the first thing about _love!"_ She growled. Will couldn't think of any more words, he just stood up, defeated, and then walking away. "This is _precisely_ what I mean!" Tessa shouted.

"What do you mean by that?" Will turned back around, looking at Tessa's grey eyes, still full of tears.

"You come to me,_ kiss_ me, and leave, and then act as if it _never_ happened!" Tessa cried. Will fought back the urge to shout at her, why would he even _want_ to shout at her?

"What do you want me to do about this? You're yelling at me, you're rejecting me." Will walked a step closer to her. "What do you _need_ me to do?" he asked.

"Show me you care. Don't just leave!" Her voice cracked.

* * *

**A/N. So, I just wanted to mention, this story is a lot about people who struggle with insecurity about their self-image/body-image (I am one of those people), and I also just like to write kinda depressing-ish things to get my mind off depressing things in _my _life. I'm not really sure where I'm going with this exactly, how long it's going to be... But, I'm trying my best to satisfy everyone, which is not easy. I'll also try to have an update schedule posted in the bottom A/N section of the next chapter... But I (unfortunately) will not be updating this story for the next few days, as I am going to be very busy this week.**

**Feel free to PM me for any ideas/things you want to see happen (I will take them into consideration... as long as they're reasonable requests), or drop me a review, tell me how I did?**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N. Ok, so chapter 3. Wow. I really didn't think I would ever actually write this chapter. I didn't really think many people would _actually _read this story, let alone favorite/follow it... Thank you! I love you guys. Just logging on, seeing I have one more follower/favorite/review on this, excites me. ****I hope you like this chapter. I am sorry about the wait, but I was a bit pretty busy last week. So, without further disruption, I give you chapter 3.**

* * *

"What do you want me to do about this? You're yelling at me, you're rejecting me." Will walked a step closer to her. "What do you _need_ me to do?" he asked.

"Show me you care. Don't just leave!" Her voice cracked. "Stay and fight for me, Will. If you truly _do_ care and love me, you'll stay. You will put up with me being angry, you'll stay even if I go mad! You will _care_ for me, not just say you do." Tessa's voice was weak, but the impact in her words, hit Will like a train. He continued walking over to her, and stopped when he was standing above her. _"Fight for me, Will."_ Tessa whispered. He took her hands, pulling her up to stand with him.

_"_I will." He pulled her into his arms, as he spoke quietly. "And I'm_ not_ backing down this time." They stood there for awhile, Will holding onto Tessa, stroking her hair, and Tessa with tears slowly falling down her face.

"Thank you." Tessa said, her voice still sounding weak.

"For what?" Will asked, confused.

"For... _this_. For staying. Not leaving again." She looked up at him and pecked his cheek.

"That's all I get?" Will teased with a smile. Tessa smacked his chest, playfully.

"For now. Yes." She tried smiling. But it looked too forced, with her face still flushed, and eyes still glassy from her tears.

"Well, that was about four seconds ago... so can I get another now?" Will grinned, awaiting another feather light kiss. Which Tessa gave in to.

"Can you let me breath for a minute?" Struck with another wave of light-headedness, Tessa spoke quietly, pushing off Will's chest, he let her go.

"Is everything okay, Tess?" Will asked, putting his hands on her shoulders, a look of concern washing over his face. "Do you need me to do anything?"

"I'm just... I am a bit hungry." Tessa said, slightly embarrassed. Will smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Shall we go and get you something to eat then?" he asked, dropping his arms, to his sides. Tessa smiled half-heartedly and nodded.

"That'd be good." She murmured. Will tilted her chin up, and smiled at her.

"Then let's go to the kitchen and find something." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, guiding her out of the library.

As they walked, Tessa could only think of the idea of her and Will. _And food_... But mainly Will. The boy who had implied he only wanted her for... _his desires_, now is sincerely in love with her. It just seemed odd. She wondered why he had lied, why he couldn't have just simply told her that he was in love with her, why the sudden change at heart. _He must be hiding something,_ she thought about how he never really liked talking about himself, as they turned into the kitchen.

He guided her to a clear spot on the counter, and she sat down, while he went to search the cupboards for something. "What do you want?" Will asked, continuing his quest for food.

"I don't know. Anything you can find, I guess." Tessa said, swinging her legs as she sat on the countertop. Will soon pulled out a bag of uncooked rice, looking at it confused.

"What is this? It is not rice, no way in heaven is _this_ rice." Will said, to... _the bag of rice?_ Tessa just laughed.

"You need to _cook_ it, first." Tessa giggled. Will turned around to look at her.

"And I suppose you know how?" Will asked. Tessa hopped down from her seat, and walked over to him, grabbing it from his hands.

"I _do_. Honestly, you never cook?" Tessa questioned. Will shook his head.

"Agatha, always does... Well, did. Now Bridget does. So, no. I haven't ever cooked." Will said, as if it were the most obvious thing.

"Well, I was not raised in royalty, so I'm not _completely_ helpless." Tessa said proudly. She walked over to another cupboard, looking for a pot to cook it in. After some rummaging, she pulled one out and went over to the sink to fill it. Will watched her, curiously, as she filled it with water, and set it on the stove as she turned a knob and a flame popped out underneath the pot.

"What is this sorcery?" Will asked, his gaze set intently on the flame. Tessa laughed, again.

"Well, I am possibly a warlock of a sorts, so, it's just me." Tessa watched Will's expression change from that of surprise to that of uncertainty.

"Are you sure?" He asked, partly believing Tessa's words.

"No. It's just how the stove top works." Tessa said. Will smirked at her as she put a cover over the top of the pot. "So, you've _never_ seen anyone cook? Never considered how it works?" Tessa asked, dumbfounded.

"Well, when I was little, I wasn't allowed in the kitchen. And when I le-" Will stopped his words abruptly. _Oh, he _has_ to be hiding something. _Tessa thought.

"When you what?" Tessa asked, innocently.

"It.. It's nothing." Will stuttered.

"Oh, okay." Tessa dropped it _I'll get to the bottom of this eventually_, she thought. She saw that the water was about to boil over, and she removed the cover from it pot. She grabbed the bag of uncooked rice and poured in enough for her and a bit extra for Will. Since he had already eaten at dinner, he couldn't possibly eat much more. Or _want_ to eat much more, at least. Tessa grabbed a wooden spoon and began stirring the rice, Will just looked at her, smiling. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, she turned away. Will let out a low chuckle, as he grabbed her by the waist, spinning her around to face him. Tessa smiled up at him.

"I love you." He said, loving the taste of the words coming from his mouth. Feeling free to finally be able to say them. But, he still felt guilt, for he never knew what the consequence would be for saying them. But, he knew what would happen if he meant them._ Which he did, he meant them._ But, he was never _free_ to mean that feeling, _love_. _I'll take my chances._ He leaned down and kissed her perfect lips, long and passionately. Will felt Tessa smile against his mouth. When the kiss ended, He looked deeply into Tessa's eyes and asked, "when's the rice ready?" Tessa couldn't help but laugh. She went over to stir it again, seeing most of the water had been absorbed.

"It should be ready in about a minute." Tessa claimed. Will came behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, kissing the top of her head.

"Okay." He whispered. Just as Tessa was about to speak again, there were footsteps. Will seemed oblivious to the noise, but Tessa became alert. _What if someone finds me in here and thinks I'm stuffing my face?_ she imagined someone walking in, seeing her eating whilst everyone was asleep, and telling everyone she was on a binge. _But, I'm just eating, not bingeing._ She calmed her thoughts as she turned off the flame and shook Will's arms off as she went to set the pot on the counter, off the heat, to cool a bit. There were more footsteps, but closer this time. Will seemed to notice, as he came beside her and asked if she heard it too.

"Yes." Tessa replied. "I heard them earlier, seconds ago, but they're getting closer." Tessa pulled out a two bowls, dividing up the rice, with more for herself, than for Will.

"Already making me meals, this just took yet another turn for the best. One more thing to love about you." Will smiled, as Tessa blushed. Just as they went to take it out to the dinning room, the kitchen door opened.

They heard someone clear their throat, they stopped, dead in their tracks. "Well, well, well. I never thought I'd see Tessa with food..." The voice trailed off as Will and Tessa turned to see the owner of the voice. "Or, with our very own William Herondale."

* * *

**A/N. Ooh, who was it? I have a feeling some of you must know. But, if not... Looks like you'll have to wait.**

**I just want to mention, that (from now on) the only days I will be posting more chapters will be any day from Thursday-Sunday (Pacific time-zone), but not _each_ day... I might post more than one chapter in the same week, but don't count on it. Sorry for any inconvenience... I (somehow) do have a social life... kinda. Also, since this was uploaded on Sunday, and it was a pretty bad ending/cliff-hanger, I will try and upload another chapter right away on Thursday.**

**Feel free to PM me for any ideas/things you want to see happen (I will take them into consideration... as long as they're reasonable requests), or drop me a review, tell me how I did?**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N. Ok, here's chapter 4, on Thursday, as I promised. Yay! **

* * *

"Already making me meals, this just took another turn for the best. One more thing to love about you." Will smiled, as Tessa blushed. Just as they went to take it out to the dinning room, they heard the kitchen door open.

They heard someone clear their throat, as they stopped dead in their tracks. "Well, well, well. I never thought I'd see Tessa with food..." The voice trailed off as Will and Tessa turned to see the owner of the voice. "Or, with our very own William Herondale." the figure was standing in the shadows, but Tessa could see, that they were adorned with a cloak. The figure stepped closer, and then they say _who_ it was. _Jessamine_. She walked over to the two of them, smirking as she did.

"What do you want, Jessie?" Will asked, stepping in front of Tessa. Even though this was no danger, Tessa liked how Will was protecting her, even from the smallest of threats like Jessamine. _But why was she wearing a cloak?_ Tessa wondered.

"Honestly, the pair of you. I could ask _you_ the same. So tell me Will, why are you and Miss Gray in here, _all alone?_" Jessamine asked, raising an eyebrow. Tessa stepped out from behind Will, putting down her bowl on the counter as she walked up to Jessamine.

"It's none of your concern. Now, please tell _us_ what's _you_ are doing here, at this time." Tessa said, trying to sound confident. Jessamine laughed, pushing Tessa back, she walked around her and went to sit on the counter, picking up Tessa's bowl of rice, she began speaking.

"So, now I get why you don't eat with us. You wish to consume it all at night, so we don't see how you look?" Jessamine looked suspiciously to Will after staring down with Tessa. "And Will, what were _you_ doing down here, with her?" Jessamine hopped down from the counter, setting down the rice, and walking up to Will. "What were your..." She cleared her voice, "_intentions?_" she sneered, looking up at Will, her hands holding each other behind her back.

"I was just helping her." Will said, stepping closer and staring back down at her with just as much intensity, if not more. After awhile, Tessa felt the need to do something, anything, even if it meant to be closer to them. She went over to them, standing at an equal distance from either of them.

After some time, Tessa decided this childish staring game had to end. She cleared her throat several times, but nothing changed. "Are you two going to continue to stare at one another all day, or shall we part ways?" Tessa spoke in an annoyed tone.

"Jessie, perhaps it's time you gave up? You cannot keep staring at me forever... I have nothing important to attend to at the moment, as where you..." Will trailed off, leaning closer, still maintaining eye-contact. "You came here for something. Surely you didn't decide _now_ would be a good time to go for a stroll." Will leaned back, still not breaking contact. _He _really_ doesn't go down easily._ Tessa thought, rolling her eyes.

"I don't know about you, but I'm going to eat. This _is_ getting entertaining." Tessa said, smirking as she went to sit on the counter, taking her rice and spooning bits into her mouth, watching Will and Jessie continue staring. She looked at a small clock sitting on the counter beside her. _1:25._ Tessa was slightly shocked that she'd been down here as long as she was, nearly 2 hours. _Time flew by._ She let out a sigh as she finished the rest of her rice, setting the bowl down. "_Now_ this just seems ridiculous. You have been staring for quite some time. What are you hoping to accomplish?" Tessa asked, annoyed.

"Not that I agree with Tessa, but, I agree, this is getting a tad ridiculous." Jessamine said, backing away and locking eyes with Tessa.

"Ha! I win!" Will exclaimed. Tessa rolled her eyes, Jessamine just waved her hand as if she were brushing his words away. "So, Jessie, tell me why you're down here, at such a late hour?" Will questioned.

"It's none of your business." Jessamine turned away, pulling her cloak around her tightly.

"But I do think it is. You're not sneaking away are you? All your talk of leaving one day... I must say, I thought you'd be a bit smarter than to leave at this time." Jessamine remained turned away as Will spoke. "Really, if you were to leave tonight, not returning, we could easily think you died, not even batting an eye. What, with Mortmain and his automatons knowing our _exact_ location? He could easily try using _you_ as bait, or just simply try to make a statement by killing you." Will walked, as he spoke, over to Jessamine.

"He would not. He does not despise me as he does you. I am not like you. I am not like _any_ of you." Jessamine growled.

"Oh but you are. You see Jessie, you are but only a badly trained Shadowhunter. But you are _still_ a Shadowhunter." Will said harshly.

"That's not what I meant. Not at all." Jessamine said, emotionlessly, over her shoulder, as she walked out.

"That was... _odd._" Tessa said, watching Jessamine's retreating figure, just a shadow now, turn out of sight.

"Yes. Quite odd." Will turned around, walking over to Tessa. "Now, to solve another mystery..." Will's voice trailed off.

"And, what is that?" Tessa asked looking at Will.

"Where did I put my rice." Will smirked as Tessa laughed. "Honestly, in the midst of Jessamine's entrance, our telepathic duel and her departure... I seem to have lost it." Will looked around the room. Tessa walked back over to the door frame, getting a full view of the room. She spotted it then, on a crate a meter behind Will.

"Turn around." Tessa called. Will did so, finding it, smiling and picking it up, walking over next to Tessa.

"You really are fantastic." Will proclaimed. Tessa smiled as they walked out to the dining room, sitting next to each other.

"Why do you think Jessie was wearing a cloak?" Tessa asked, curious.

"I don't know. It doesn't make a difference to me, maybe she was just walking around and needed _something_ to cover herself. Come to think of it, she never did state why she'd come out in the middle of the night." Will said, looking quizzically back towards the kitchen.

"Well, I guess that's another mystery for yet another time." Tessa spoke softly, leaning into Will, who wrapped an arm around her. Tessa yawned, looking up at Will, who had just finished eating, and smiled. "I love you." She said dreamily. "But, I want to know more about _you._" She said with a bit more edge than she intended.

"Why must I tell you about myself?" Will sounded nervous. "You already know me. I am the most charming, handsome, courageous gentleman you will ever lay your eyes upon. What more must you know, Tess?" He asked. Tessa shrugged.

"I don't know. I guess it's because you seem to know a lot about me and my family, but I hardly know much about yours." When Tessa had said the word _family_ Will tensed beside her. _What _are_ you hiding? _she wondered. "You know so much about me and people close to me. Who's close to you?" Tessa asked, feeling like a detective, like one from a novel.

"There's not much _to_ know. I've lived here for..." Will trailed off looking at the empty chair on his other side, as if there was somebody there to offer him an answer.

"For how long? Sorry, I don't think I heard you correctly." Tessa admitted, knowing he had intentionally stopped talking for a reason.

"It doesn't matter. I've lived here for quite awhile now, my family is all here. Jem, Charlotte, Henry, even the _other one._" Will jerked his head towards the doorway leading to where Jessamine had been. _Jessamine. He and Jem had mentioned something about her earlier, at diner._ Tessa recalled what she'd overheard, Will saying something like _"she used to be like that too."_ and Jem agreeing.

"Speaking of '_the other one'_ what were you and Jem talking about earlier?" Tessa asked, feeling Will relax next to her, eager to change the subject off his family to something else.

"Well, it is a bit difficult to explain, I suppose." Will looked back to Tessa, who was now sitting up more. "How much did you hear?" Will asked, biting his lip.

"Not much, just your last exchange with Jem, and that was about it." Tessa said, a bit confused as to why it'd matter.

* * *

**A/N. Ooh, what does that mean? I tried not to leave too much of a cliff-hanger on this one, because I don't want to make you guys wait for long with a bad ending... and also, because I will not be updating until next week. I am _once again _quite busy this week... but, I do have an excuse this time. School is starting very soon and it's a big year for me... So it ought to be pretty stressful... **

**Feel free to PM me for any ideas or things you want to see happen (I will take them into consideration... as long as they're reasonable requests), or drop me a review, tell me how I did? (I would _really_ appreciate some more ideas for this story!)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N. **

***Trigger Warning *****mention/reference to self-harm, no gory details.**

**Hooray! Chapter 5 is here! (FINALLY!) I tried to write something less 'tragedy', but there is mention of self-harming in this chapter.**

* * *

"Well, it is a bit difficult to explain, I suppose." Will looked back to Tessa, who was now sitting up more. "How much did you hear?" Will asked, biting his lip.

"Not much, just your last exchange with Jem, and that was about it." Tessa said, a bit confused as to why it'd matter. Will sighed rubbing her shoulder as he kissed her forehead.

"Alright, so I assume you know Jem and I were referring to _you_, correct?" Will asked, Tessa nodded. "Okay, well, you know of how tiny Jessie is, how tightly she insist on lacing her corset?" Will stopped, looking to Tessa, who was nodding. "Well, she would starve and starve for several days, then consume a larger amount of food at the end of the week."

Tessa scowled at Will. Harshly she spoke, "that is _not_-"

"I know, I know, that's not exactly what you were doing." He cut her off. "It's just that she felt that the only way for her to find someone for herself, to run away with, was to be the most beautiful lady anyone could find, and her definition of beauty, is small and thin." Will said, gently stroking her hair.

"But why were the two of you even speaking of it then?" Tessa inquired.

"Well, she was getting quite angry and she stormed out in the most dramatic way. Jem had asked me what I thought she was on about."

"And, what was that?" Tessa leaned closer to Will, as she spoke softly.

"I was thinking of how she was saying how 'unfair' something was, I then recalled how when Jessie would starve, most of us -mainly Charlotte- were usually more persistent of her change of habits before it could worsen. You have it much easier than Jessamine. Nobody wants to anger Charlotte..." Will trailed off, pulling Tessa on his lap, she laughed aloud as he nuzzled into her neck, his hair tickling her. "That's why we need to be quiet." Will whispered into Tessa's neck. "Your laugh, as adorable as it is, is quite loud. We don't want to wake anyone, or have somebody else to disrupt this, now do we?"

"Okay. I'll be silent." Tessa whispered back. Will moved her hair to lay across her shoulder, kissing the skin on the other. Tessa moaned in pleasure as he gently kissed and nipped at her sensitive skin, working his way up her neck.

She turned to meet his lips, kissing him with great passion. Will wrapped his arms tightly around her waist as they kissed, Tessa gently laid her arms on his shoulders. Leaning forwards, the kiss deepened. Their mouths moved together in perfect harmony as the time ticked away. The kiss grew more and more desperate as the night continued, but not for very long. Before anything more could happen, there were footsteps.

"I have a feeling tonight is just bad luck." Tessa whispered against Will's lips, as they pulled apart. The steps grew louder. Unlike Jessamine, these were heavier, louder. The footsteps of a man.

Tessa stood up, flattening her dress from where Will had rumpled it when he had gripped her waist. Will stood shortly after, running a hand through his hair and pulling Tessa to a dark corner. "Why must everyone disrupt us?" Will muttered under his breath. Tessa shrugged and leaned her back into Will's chest. A door opened somewhere nearby, not knowing exactly where, they remained partially hidden in the shadows. The steps grew louder, but not loud enough to be in the dining room. A soft humming was heard, but not the hum of a machine, the hum of a human.

It felt like an eternity before the steps and humming stopped. Tessa straightened up, looking left to right as she stepped out of the shadows, Will followed in suit. The two walked to the door, leading through the kitchen, still hearing nothing but each others footsteps and breathing. Tessa walked as silently as humanely possible, whereas Will was even more silent with his Shadowhunter stealth. "Where are we even going?" he whispered as they walked through the door leading into the kitchen.

"I don't know." Tessa admitted. Will stopped behind her as continued to walk through the room. Upon realizing he'd stopped, she turned around and walked back over to him. "Why are you stopping? This is no time to stop. We must get back." Tessa urged.

"Back to where?" Will asked, being stubborn. Tessa sighed grabbing his hand, pulling him with her as she continued through the room. When they reached the door, Will stopped, again. Tessa turned around, a scowl on her face.

"Please, stop-"

"I have stopped. Can you not tell?" Will interrupted, smirking as Tessa tried not to slap him. "Tell me where you're taking me, and I will _consider_ following you." Will said, grabbing her other hand in his.

"We're going to..." Tessa trailed off, no idea of where to take him was in her mind. _But, he will not follow me if it's somewhere he doesn't want to be._ "Where do you _want_ to go." Tessa answered.

"Wherever you're going." Will countered. Tessa rolled her eyes and pulled her hands from his as she walked out into the hall.

She continued down the halls, but heard something behind her. She turned around, surprised to see that Will had _finally_ decided to follow her. "I knew you were going to give in." She said as she stopped, crossing her arms over her chest as she did.

"I though you'd get lost. And, I didn't want to make you think I wouldn't be bothered if I'd let that happen." Will admitted, stepping close to her, grabbing her hands. Tessa couldn't hide the grin that crept upon her face. She leaned up and kissed his cheek.

"You truly do have a weakness." Tessa smiled as she recalled his conversation about being without weakness.

"And you can't tell _anyone._ As far as they're concerned, tonight never happened." Will leaned in close, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Fine. But, we best be getting to bed. It is almost 2 in the morning." Tessa said, kissing Will's cheek.

"Yes, we should be getting to your bed." Will whispered, barley audibly. Tessa's eyes widened when he said it.

"You don't mean..." her voice trailed off. _I finally thought he loved me for other reasons, _she thought. Will lifted his head and a look of concern washed over his face.

"No, no, no, no, _that_ is not what I meant." He put a hand on her shoulder, the other went to her cheek where he turned her head to look back up at him. "Tessa, I did not mean it like that." his voice was quiet as he spoke. Tessa nodded slowly before she replied.

"Okay. I'm sorry, I just thought after the whole thing on the roof and everything else before tonight. I wasn't sure." She put her hand on Will's and took it in her own as they continued walking. "So, are you coming with me? Into _my _bed?" Tessa asked.

"If it is a problem, no. I will go back to my own chambers. But, I would love to be next to you, keep the nightmares away, stay with you." Will replied. Tessa took a breath, unsure, as they approached her room. She opened the door to reveal her slightly disarranged room. They walked over to her bed, Will sat on the edge as she removed her skirts and dress, leaving her in only her underclothes, as she went to change into a nightgown.

Will looked around the room as she changed. He saw something glimmer on her night stand. Something silver, and shining. He moved closer to find a blade, with dried blood on the end. "What's this for?" he asked cautiously as Tessa pulled the last pin from her hair. She turned around, looking closer at the object in question, a look of horror went up on her face when she realized Will had found her blade.

"It's nothing." She took a few long strides over to him, snatching it from his hand. "It's nothing." she repeated as she took it over to the nightstand, placing it in the drawer, now under a book.

"I have a feeling it is not just _'nothing'_, Tess. Why do you have a razor blade in your room?" Will asked, growing worried at Tessa's lack of response. She sat on her knees, resting her head on the nightstand as she took a shaky breath.

"I use it..._ I hurt myself._.." her voice was weak as she spoke. Tears rolled silently down her face as she turned to face Will, seeing the worried look on his face made her feel guilty, she started to sob quietly, turning away from him.

* * *

**A/N. So I have an idea of how I want this to go... but, I do need ideas to fill in the gaps, so if you have any, let me know. I do plan on making this story more romantic/happier (there will still be some sadness/tragedy though).**

**I'm sorry it took me forever to update... I've had a bad authors block lately, a****nd now, I'm officially back in school, and getting homework... Update dates may vary... But, I might surprise you... **

**Feel free to PM me for any ideas/things you want to see happen (I will take them into consideration... as long as they're reasonable requests), or drop me a review, tell me how I did?**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N. **

***Trigger Warning *****Self-harm and self-hatred.**

**O****k, so there is going to be more mention of Tessa's self-harming in this chapter now... But I think you kinda saw it coming, with how the last one ended... So, without further disruption, here's chapter 6!**

* * *

"I have a feeling it is not just _'nothing'_, Tess. Why do you have a razor blade in your room?" Will asked, growing worried at Tessa's lack of response. She sat on her knees, resting her head on the nightstand as she took a deep, shaky breath.

"I use it..._ I hurt myself._.." her voice was weak as she spoke. Tears rolled silently down her face as she turned to face Will, seeing the worried look on his face made her feel guilty, she started to quietly sob as she turned away from him. "I don't want to tell you." She stood up, walking over to the chair at the far corner of the room, she sat down, pulling her knees into her chest, resting her head on them.

Will stood up and walked over to her, he kneeled down next to her, wrapping an arm around her as he did. "Why are you doing this?" He asked, no louder than a whisper. Tessa just shook her head. Will pulled her to sit on the floor next to him. She crawled into his lap instead. Will wrapped his arms around her as she sobbed into his chest. "Just tell me, what's wrong Tessa." He said into her hair. She took a shaky breath and looked up at him.

"What's... there to... to tell?" She asked between sobs, burying her face back in his chest.

"Just tell me when you're ready." Will stroked her hair, rocking her gently back and forth as she continued to cry.

They sat together on the floor for a long time, Tessa went on to explain how this all started, she told him about how stupid she felt about trusting everyone, how she felt like nothing but a burden, the last thing she said was, "I hate _her. _I still hate _her_ sometimes." Tessa's voice sounded raw from all the crying and talking.

"Tess, who's _'her'_? Is she not nice to you? Do I need to do something about _her_?" Will asked, looking into Tessa's tear-filled eyes. She shook her head.

"You love her." Tessa whispered. Will shook his head, very confused. "You know her. She's me." Tessa buried her face back in his chest. Will stood up, bringing her to her feet along with himself.

"I do love you. You should love yourself too. Don't hate yourself, hate me. Don't hurt yourself, hurt me." Will said soothingly as he guided Tessa over to her bed.

"I don't _want_ to hate_ you_. I don't want to hurt _you_." Tessa said. "If I hate myself, I hurt no one but my self." Tessa looked away, "_just go. I don't want to hurt you." _Tessa whispered. Will grabbed her shoulders and looked into her eyes.

"No. You're wrong. By hating yourself, I see you unhappy, you become destructive. You hurt yourself, and that hurts me. It hurts me because I can't do anything about it." Tessa tried to look away, again, but he made her face him again. "Stop doing this. I understand it will not be easy. But together, we'll get through this. You are beautiful in so many ways, Tessa. Your smile can light up a room, but it's been gone too long. Your love for books is beautiful, you see them as if they're the most incredible thing to ever exist. The way you carry yourself, just to try and please others is beautiful, but you need to worry less about them take care of _yourself_. Please, please stop hating yourself. We can get through this life, together. Let me be here for you." Will pleaded.

"I'll try." Tessa yawned. Will nodded, letting his arms fall back to his sides.

"Tess, you're tired. Let's get you to bed." Will said gently, Tessa nodded. He walked her over to her bed, and laid her down, pulling her blankets up to her chest and kissed her forehead. "Goodnight Tessa." Will whispered. He began to turn to go, but Tessa grabbed his hand.

"No. Don't leave." She pulled him back, and he kneeled down next to her.

"I must sleep too, Tess." He stood again, only to be pulled back down.

"Then sleep here." Tessa said, as she moved to make room for him to lay down, next to her. Will smiled as he crawled in next to her, he tried to keep a bit of distance between them, but Tessa didn't like that. She snuggled herself right up next to him.

"Put your arm around me." she said sleepily. Will wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close, kissing her forehead. "I love you, Will." She yawned.

"I love you too, Tess. More than you can ever know." He replied, as they drifted off into a deep slumber.

* * *

The next morning. Tessa awoke, seeing Will's eyes were shut, _probably still asleep_, his arm still wrapped protectively around her, she smiled. "Good morning." He said, as his eyes fluttered open, looking down into hers.

"Good morning." Tessa's smile grew. She realized, she didn't have any nightmares last night. Will sat up, as did Tessa. She leaned over, placing a kiss on his lips, she felt him smile.

"If this is what waking up next to you means, I wouldn't mind doing this again tonight." Will said, as he stood up. "I mean, only if that is alright with you." He looked down at her, smiling.

"I would love that." Tessa smiled up at him, still sitting in the bed, she looked over to her nightstand, then frowned. Will caught her gaze, where she was looking, he went to stand in front of it.

"No, Tessa." Will scolded. Tessa's eyes snapped up to his.

"I wasn't going to touch it. I was actually going to ask if you... if you could... never mind." she dropped the subject. Will furrowed his brows, looking back at the drawer where the blade was stashed.

"What is it? What can I do for you?" He asked, sitting on the edge of the bed, next to Tessa.

"I was going to ask if you could... If you could take it for me. Take it away where I won't be tempted to use it." Tessa said, looking at her hands. Will smiled at her.

"If that means a step towards stopping, yes. I will take it. I can assure you I can find somewhere to hide it." He grabbed her hand, she up at him with a ghost of a smile tracing her lips. "I want to help you, and if this is the first step, I'd be more than glad to take it with you." Will said, pulling her into a sideways hug.

"Thank you." Tessa said quietly. Will kissed her hair before he pulled away.

"It's my pleasure." He said back, smiling. Tessa's lips curved up into a smile, Will couldn't help but grin bigger. "There it is. There's that beautiful smile I've been missing." Will stood up, Tessa giggled and blushed at his comment. "So adorable." Will said, walking across the room.

"Where are you going?" Tessa asked. Will was standing a few meters from the door, as he turned around.

"Nowhere. I was just letting you have some space so you could get up and change." Will said. Tessa nodded as she hopped out of bed.

"I can't really get my dress laced up quite right, not without Sophie. I don't think she'd be too pleased to see you in here when she comes." Tessa admitted. A wicked grin washed up on Will's face.

"Maybe _I_ could help you dress?" He suggested. Tessa's face went blank, her eyes widened. At her reaction, Will realized what he'd just said, and how Tessa must've interpreted it. _Backtrack, backtrack, backtrack!_ "Or not. I understand. I will meet you in the library later then?" He asked. Tessa relaxed, taking a deep breath. She nodded. Will smiled, heading for the door. "Great. I'll see you then."

Just as he was about to leave, there was a knock on Tessa's door. "Miss Gray?" It was Sophie. Will looked back at Tessa, a look of '_what do I do?'_ on his face. Tessa panicked.

"Just wait a moment, please Sophie." Tessa called. Will walked over to her, as silently as possible. Tessa pointed to the small wardrobe in the corner of her room. "You need to hide. Get in the closet." she whisper-yelled to Will, who nodded as he went over and hid inside, shutting the closet door. Just then, there was another knock.

"Miss Tessa? Is everything alright?" Sophie called from the other side of the door.

"Everything's just fine! You can come in now!" Tessa called back. Sophie opened the door.

"Wow, you look amazing this morning." Sophie noticed how she didn't have the usual dark bags of lack of sleep under her eyes. Tessa smiled.

"Yes. I feel quite well too. No nightmares last night." Tessa beamed.

* * *

**A/N. Yeah... That was a bit awkward_... _I tried to write something to lighten up this chapter... I think you can assume, fluff is _not_ my forte. So, I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter... I don't have much more to say... other than the usual last bit:**

**Feel free to PM me for any ideas/things you want to see happen (I will take them into consideration... as long as they're reasonable requests), or drop me a review, tell me how I did?**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N. Here's chapter 7... Sorry it took so long! But, on the bright side, ****I really think this chapter is going to be the start of happier days. (There will still be bad days, isn't there always?) I hope it's just as good as the others, if not better!**

* * *

"Wow, you look amazing this morning." Sophie noticed how she didn't have the usual dark bags of lack of sleep under her eyes. Tessa smiled.

"Yes. I feel quite well too. No nightmares last night." Tessa beamed. Sophie came over and helped her dress, and do up her hair in an updo, complete with deep violet hair pins. Tessa smiled. "Thank you very much Sophie." Tessa said, politely. Sophie nodded and left.

Once the door was shut, Tessa ran over to the closet, opening it up for Will. "Never, ever, _ever_ lock me in your closet again." Will said, breathing heavily as he took a step out.

"Oh, please. I doubt it was that bad. I thought Shadowhunters weren't afraid of anything, let alone _the amazing William Herondale._" Tessa countered, sarcastically.

"I never said I was afraid, I just _really_ don't fancy small enclosed spaces. I could hardly breathe, with all the thick dresses crammed around me, it was hard." Will complained. Tessa couldn't help but laugh. Will shook his head. "Fine, laugh at my pain." Will crossed his arms over his chest.

"Aww, is someone being an angry little boy?" Tessa teased. A ghost of a smile crept up onto Will's face as he went over to Tessa and picked her up by her waist, swinging her over his shoulder. "Put me down, Will!" She giggled as he spun around. It'd been so long, too long, since either of them had had this much fun.

He stopped twirling after awhile, but he still held onto her. "Say your sorry." Will threatened, playfully.

"Never!" Tessa let out a squeal as he tossed her onto the bed.

"I will never let you leave." He stood at the side of the bed, not making any plans to move for the next while. Tessa shook her head. "Fine then." Will said, as he crawled up the bed, trailing kisses along her neck, collarbone and jawline. Tessa let out a peal of laughter. Will smiled at her, as he pulled back.

"I'm sorry!" She surrendered, defeated. Will smirked at her, as he stood up.

"Good." He pulled her up. They stood together in the room. The sun had just risen, and the light hit Tessa in the most amazing way, it looked as if she were physically glowing, or even, on fire. "You're gorgeous." He mumbled as he pulled her towards himself. Tessa went up on her toes and gave him a feather light kiss.

"I would love to stay here, but, I actually am a bit hungry." Tessa admitted. Will nodded, as she grabbed her hand and walked towards the door. Tessa stopped before they left. "Wait. We can't go together."

"Why not?" Will asked. Tessa felt a bit silly as she dropped his hand.

"I'm just not ready for them to know." she confessed, looking to the floor.

"Well, how about we walk there together, and when we're close, we can resume to act as if we don't get along?" Will suggested, she looked back up at his eager face, and shook her head.

"I would love that. Really, I would. But my room is across from Jem. I don't want him to get an idea, if he sees us leaving my bedroom, together." Tessa looked back to the ground, feeling even more ridiculous. Will nodded, he opened the door, looked around then left, fairly quickly. Tessa sighed in relief as she went to walk out, after Will was no longer in her line of sight. She took a few steps out into the hall way, only to be stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

"Good morning, Tessa." It was Jem, smiling brightly as she turned around.

"Oh, yes, Jem, um hello." Tessa stuttered. Jem looked at her, his brow furrowed.

"Are you alright?" He asked. Tessa just laughed lightly, it was a bit of a panicked laugh, but she tried to keep smiling.

"Yes, I am. Just fine. A bit tired is all." Tessa said. Jem nodded, offering her his arm.

"Shall we?" he asked. Tessa wanted to say 'no' or ignore him, but she didn't want to hurt him. So, she nodded, accepting his arm.

* * *

Will sat in the dining room, awaiting Tessa. He could see her approaching, when she entered the room with Jem. _Jem, get your hands off _my _Tessa!_ Will mentally shouted. They approached and sat down on either side of himself. "What was he doing?" Will demanded, silently, to Tessa. She frowned at his comment.

"Relax Will. He was just walking me down to breakfast." Tessa grabbed his hand under the table. "It's okay. Nothing happened." Will let out a sigh of relief before nodding.

Someone stormed into the room, clearly annoyed by something. "Are you alright?" Tessa asked upon seeing Charlotte enter the room, appearing as if the might explode.

"No. I am not. We have less than 10 days to find Mortmain, and that hypocritical, obstinate, imbecile, is denying helping us!" Charlotte exclaimed, banging her hand against a wall, Tessa jumped at the sudden sound, she'd never seen Charlotte so distressed.

"Who are you talking about? Why can't he help? Would it not be easier to go and find him?" Tessa knew she was asking many questions, but her curiosity got the best of her. Charlotte took a deep breath, as she walked over to the table and sat down.

"It's Aloysius Starkweather. That rat refuses to meet with either I, or Henry." Charlotte said, calmly. Tessa was amazed how quickly she could calm herself.

"What if one of us go?" Jem suggested. Will seemed to perk up at the idea.

"Yes! Send me, I would love to knock some sense into that man." Will exclaimed, excitedly. "Oh, and get what information he has." he added. Charlotte sighed, rubbing her temples.

"No, Will. I am _not_ letting you go alone." Charlotte said, sharply.

"What if I were to go?" Jem asked.

"It might be alright. But, good luck getting that old man to give you _anything_ of use for our investigation." Charlotte looked to them. "I honestly don't see the point." She admitted.

"What if _I_ went, too?" Tessa suggested. "I could get him to tell us anything." she said proudly.

"No, you can't. He will never talk to you, or any of us." Charlotte scowled as the door opened again, revealing Jessamine.

"Who can't do what?" She asked as she took her seat across from Tessa. Jessamine looked around the room, zoning in on Tessa. "You will not believe what I saw, last night." Jessamine spoke up, with a sly grin on her face. Will and Tessa tensed.

"Why were you up late last night, Jessie? I thought you haven't been feeling well?" Jem said, looking curiously over to Jessamine. Will and Tessa silently thanked Jem, for the change of subject. Now it was Jessamine's turn to panic.

"I wasn't. You must've heard me wrong." She said coolly. Charlotte cleared her throat, indicating her presence.

"We are not talking about the events of last night. Now, Tessa," Charlotte turned to look at her. "What do you mean, he will tell you anything? He is nothing but a cold old man with no emotions for anyone but himself." Charlotte sounded murderous, just thinking about the man angered her.

"But, if I can get something of his, I can _become_ him." Tessa suggested.

"That's complete nonsense." Jessamine rolled her eyes. Charlotte took Tessa's idea into consideration.

"It's a mad idea, but, it's a mad idea that just might work." Charlotte said, smiling. Tessa smiled too, feeling proud for coming up with such an idea.

"Why not send Jem and I to retrieve whatever she may need." Will looked to Tessa. "It will be a long journey. We must board a train. You know how awful those things can be." Will claimed. Tessa shook her head.

"No, I've never been on a train. I would love to go, I want to help." Tessa fought. "It's partly my fault why this whole thing started, and I want to do my best to help end it." she announced. Will shook his head disapprovingly.

"You won't even like the train. You are not coming." Will denied.

*****"I won't know if I like it until I try it, will I?" She dropped his hand from under the table.

"I've never swum naked in the Thames, but I know I wouldn't like it." Will snapped.

"But think how entertaining for the sightseers..." She trailed off, she saw a flash of a smile on Jem's face.

"Let's just let her come. It's not a problem." Jem added.

"Yes, the three of you will be going. It's settled." Charlotte stated.

Will sighed defeated. "Fine, when are we leaving?" He asked.

"You will be leaving tomorrow morning." Charlotte announced. Tessa smiled victoriously. "I'll send him a letter, he'll be expecting you."

* * *

**A/N. Yay! This is actually going somewhere now! I just want to say, if you don't see your ideas right away, don't worry. I am trying my best to incorporate them all, but, they can't all fit in whenever. I hope this chapter lived up to any expectations! I just want to mention, everything that's happening (if you haven't already figured it out) in this, is taking place _during_ Clockwork Prince.**

***Clockwork Prince, Page 75**

**Feel free to PM me for any ideas/things you want to see happen (I will take them into consideration... as long as they're reasonable requests), or drop me a review, tell me how I did?**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N. Chapter 8... I think people will start to like this a bit more... I'm kinda re-writing Clockwork Prince, it seems, but as if it had happened differently... Not that I didn't already love it. Cassandra Clare has a brilliant mind, she also owns all of these characters... I just felt like I had to say that once, even though you all knew that.**

* * *

Will sighed defeated. "Fine, when are we leaving?" He asked.

"You will be leaving tomorrow morning." Charlotte announced. Tessa smiled victoriously. "I'll send him a letter, he'll be expecting you."

* * *

Once they finished their breakfast, the trio headed to the drawing room, just for sometime to discuss what it was that they'd exactly be doing on their trip to York. Tessa was the first to speak up, addressing her question to Will. "Why were you so against me joining you?"

"Because, I don't want you to be there. It's dangerous, and there are just things about that man, he's not the nicest, let alone the most social." Will flopped down on one of the long sofas.

"It's fine, Will." Jem spoke up from his spot on the floor. "Tessa won't be easily bothered by him. I mean, not even _you_, Will, bother her." Jem said. Tessa looked back and forth between the boys, sitting on the floor across from Jem, with her back leaning against the sofa, where Will's feet rested.

"How will we introduce him to Tessa? She's clearly not a Shadowhunter, he _really_ doesn't fancy downworlders either." Will pointed out.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there." Tessa said, looking over her shoulder at Will.

"But what if there's a fire at the bridge, and we aren't prepared for it?" Will countered. Tessa was confused, as was Jem.

"It's a metaphor. I just mean that, we can figure out that problem, when we get to it." Tessa confirmed.

"As was mine. It was a metaphor that if you don't plan ahead, you might be faced with another problem that you didn't see coming." Will nudged the back of Tessa's head with his foot. "We don't want to get stuck in a place where we have no idea what to do. I know enough from personal experience, it's not a good place to be." Will said, looking at Tessa.

"I guess it's not a bad idea." Jem admitted.

"Okay, so, who am I?" Tessa asked.

"Maybe she's our aunt?" Jem suggested. Will shook his head. "No, I guess not. She doesn't really look like either of us."

"Maybe she's a young girl whose fallen madly in love with me, and demands to follow my every step?" Will suggested. Tessa eyed him, suspicious that he may say too much about them, in front of Jem.

"Will, her talent is _shape shifting,_ not_ acting_." Jem said. Tessa looked down, _if only you knew,_ she thought. "Perhaps she's my fiancée, awaiting her Ascension?" Jem suggested.

"Why not mine?" Will asked. Tessa didn't want to hurt either of them, so she stayed silent. Jem looked up at Will and shook his head.

"Because _I_ said it first, it was _my_ idea, and what do you care?" Jem was sounding suspicious, almost as if he were onto something.

"Fine. She's _your_ fiancée." Will said, defeated. Tessa stood up and walked over to the window.

"It's nearly afternoon, I have training this evening. I wish to get to packing." She said, walking out of the room. The boys nodded to her as she walked out of the room.

Once she left the room, Will turned to Jem. "Why your fiancée?" He asked.

"Why do you care?" Jem tried answering his questions the same way Will did, with another question. "I already said, it was my idea." Jem answered. Will gasped.

"You like Tessa, don't you?" Will accused. Jem laughed at the comment.

"Well, yes, of course I like her." Jem confessed. "But, only like a _friend_." Jem lied, but Will thought it was truth, he felt less tense when Jem said that. "Does that bother you? I was under the impression that you didn't like her all too much." Jem said, curiosity in his voice.

"It's not that I dislike her. I actually do think she's a great person. I just don't know her that well." Will lied, he felt guilty, more guilty that usual, he lied a lot in his life, but he felt bad about lying to Jem.

Jem stood up, walking over to the door. "Well, I must agree with Tessa's previous statement, I shall go pack my things." Will stood up, walking over to join his _parabatai_ at the door.

"Make sure you bring enough." Will grabbed Jem's shoulder.

"Sure." Jem nodded, and with that he left. Will sighed, walking down the halls to the library. Not really to read, just to clear his head.

Upon his arrival, he was surprised to see Tessa. "What are you doing in here?" He asked, rounding a corner. Tessa jumped back, surprised by how silently Will had entered.

"I was looking for something to read." She walked over to him. "But, it can wait."

"It can, but we need you ready, so you can train with those hideous creatures." Will took her hands in his.

"They aren't hideous." Tessa smiled, as she saw Will's face turn into a mildly horrified grimace. "Gideon and Gabriel? They're actually quite good looking."

*****"I spoke, of the pitch-black inner depths of their souls."

Tessa laughed. "And what color do you suppose the inner depths of _your_ soul are, Will Herondale?"

"Mauve." Will said, without a second guess. Tessa couldn't help but laugh again.

"You really are full of nonsense." Just then, Sophie walked in. She was a bit taken aback upon seeing Will and Tessa, holding hands. Will connected eyes across the room with Sophie.

"And that, Tess, is how to break a hand." Will said. He truly was good at making scenarios up, on the fly. "Of course, I didn't break yours, but you get the idea." He made sure to project his voice, loud enough for Sophie to hear. He dropped Tessa's hands, as he walked out of the room, Tessa stared after him, slightly confused, until she saw Sophie.

"We need to get changed for training." Sophie began to walk out, followed by Tessa. The two girls separated as Tessa continued on to her own room, doing her best to remove her dress and throw on her training gear as fast as she could.

* * *

She walked into the training room, to see Sophie and Gideon already training, very closely together, Gabriel standing impatiently, and _Will_ sitting on a bench, eating an apple. "You're _late_." Gabriel growled. Tessa shrugged and walked over, grabbing one of the swords. "You're still holding it wrong." his voice was growing more annoyed by the seconds.

"Maybe if I had a better teacher, I wouldn't be." Tessa muttered to herself, turning away. She repositioned her stance.

"I heard that." Gabriel growled. Tessa shrugged.

"What are you going to do about it?" She turned to face him, a sly grin on her face. Will was laughing, and Sophie and Gideon stepped away from each other, and Gabriel froze, all eyes on him.

What Gabriel did next was unexpected. He grabbed the sword from Tessa and put the blade to her throat. Will's laughter ceased, and Gideon took a step towards his brother. "Gabriel," his voice was calm, "put the sword down. This is unnecessary." Gabriel lowered the sword, but it remained on Tessa's shoulder. Will took a few steps so that he was standing behind Tessa.

"What's going on?" Sophie asked, still standing farther away. Gideon took a few steps back, standing in front of her, as if shielding her from the scene.

"Nothing you need to worry about, my dea-" Gideon abruptly cut off his words, his face reddening, along with Sophie's. He cleared his throat. "Nothing, my brother is just acting like a child." Gideon turned to the door, and began to walk out. "We shall be leaving now." he said, stopping to wait for Gabriel to join him.

"Stop acting like you own me. I can do what I want! I am an _adult_." Gabriel spoke sharply, the sword still resting on Tessa's shoulder. "You won't have to treat me so when our _father_ runs this place. Never again will I need to see any of your faces." Gabriel exclaimed, throwing the sword to the ground in a loud clatter as he joined his brother and left.

"How dare he act like that!" Tessa picked up the sword, returning it to the stand near the wall. "He acts as if we've already lost this place, then, he threatens to throw us all out!" Tessa groaned in frustration, sitting on a bench near the wall, putting her elbows on her knees, and head in her hands.

"Tess, it's alright. He doesn't know what he's talking about. Neither of them do." Will sat next to her, watching Sophie run out of the room. Tessa nodded, sitting up and looking into Will's deep violet-blue eyes. "I would never let him throw you out. Not without me." Will said, pulling her into his side. She let out a loud sigh, before leaning into his side.

"I know you wouldn't." She smiled. "I just really thought we were all on better terms by now." Tessa huffed.

* * *

**A/N. Another chapter finally finished! I hope you all liked it!**

** Also, I wanted to say, I just put up a Wessa one-shot awhile ago... It's all fluff... But, it does have some spoilers for Clockwork Princess.**

***Clockwork Prince, Page 86.**

**Feel free to PM me for any ideas/things you want to see happen (I will take them into consideration... as long as they're reasonable requests), or drop me a review, tell me how I did?**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N. This is chapter 9. I really don't have any trigger disclaimers or any warnings... all smooth sailing here!**

* * *

"Tess, it's alright. He doesn't know what he's talking about. Neither of them do." Will sat next to her, watching Sophie run out of the room. Tessa nodded, sitting up and looking into Will's deep violet-blue eyes. "I would never let him throw you out. Not without me." Will said, pulling her into his side. She let out a loud sigh, before leaning into him.

"I know you wouldn't." She smiled. "I just really thought we were all on better terms by now." Tessa huffed. Will shook his head, leaning it back against the wall.

"No one will ever be on good terms with the _Lightworms._" Will said, Tessa tilted her head back, looking at him.

"Really, Will? Light-_worm?_ Surely you haven't stooped _that_ low." She rolled her eyes. Will laughed, straightening himself up as he did.

"Oh yes, I have." Will kissed her cheek, and smiled.

"I really don't know how Charlotte can handle you. Especially when you were young." Tessa shook her head, straightening up, then standing. "You truly are driving me mad." She began to walk to the door, Will hopped up and caught up with her, walking out with her.

"So, what are we doing now?" Will asked, grabbing Tessa's hand.

"Well, I don't know about _you_, but _I_ need to finish packing." she replied as they walked. Will nodded.

"I shall help you." he announced, determinedly. Tessa shrugged, there was no way to convince him otherwise, what harm could he do?

* * *

Once they arrived to Tessa's room, Will went and sat on the edge of her bed, while Tessa went to grab a trunk from her closet. "What exactly _should_ I bring?" she wondered aloud, placing the trunk on the bed, next to Will.

"You need only to think of what you do _not_ need, and it will be then that you will discover what you _do_ need." Will said, sounding too complex for... _Will._

"Will, you really don't make sense sometimes." Tessa shook her head, throwing a small pillow at him, which he caught.

"Yes, I do. You just don't understand such genius." Will said back, earning a laugh out of Tessa.

"Well, sir genius, can you teach me how to be of such intelligence?" Tessa mock-swooned as she sat next to him. Will chuckled as he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her into him.

"Why, I would never need to." He kissed her as Tessa wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling herself onto his lap.

The kiss deepened, soon it became heated. Will lifted Tessa so that her legs were straddled on either side of himself as he grabbed her waist with an iron grip. Tessa tangled her fingers in Will's hair, leaning down as she kissed him with a burning passion. One of Will's hands snaked it's way into her hair, he tugged it slightly, tilting Tessa's head up, exposing the soft skin of her neck. He began to kiss her down her jaw, trailing to her collarbone, earning soft moans from Tessa.

Will trailed his kisses back up her jaw, capturing her mouth in an entrancing kiss. Tessa wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him as close as they could be, before they pulled away, gasping for air. "Well, that was... amazing." Tessa rested her forehead against Will's shoulder, loosening her hold on him as she spoke.

"I do have that effect on women." Will smiled as Tessa lifted her head, only to roll her eyes. "I do agree. That was amazing." He loosened his grip on her waist that he held so tightly. Tessa looked around the room, seeing that her packing was interrupted -not that she minded why- she let out a sigh.

"I best get back to packing, I don't plan on wearing the same thing the entire trip." She looked down at her dress, climbing of Will, as she flattened out the wrinkles and folds, where he had his hands. Will looked up at her, smiling. Tessa turned to see the smile on his face, feeling self-conscious, she turned back around, away from him. She went over to her wardrobe, grabbing two dresses, one a bit fancier than the other, and tossed them on the bed.

"Can I do anything?" Will asked, looking at Tessa's dresses, then back to her. She shrugged before waling back over to him.

"I don't know. I guess you could help me put these," she pointed to the dresses, "in my trunk." Will nodded, picking one up and attempting to fold it up enough to fit in the trunk. Tessa sat next to him, folding the other one small enough for it to fit. After some time, the two got Tessa's things packed and ready to go. By then, it was nearly diner.

"Are you ready to go?" Will asked, standing up and offering her his hand. Tessa nodded and grabbed his hand, standing up. "One more thing, I need to stop by my room, is that alright?" Will asked, Tessa shrugged.

"Why?" she asked, sounding slightly tired. Will went over to her night stand, opening it, moving the book, and grabbing her small blade.

"I need to hide this." He held up the blade. "And, I want to grab something. Seeing as you have nothing to read, I want to find you something." He smiled at her, gently kissing her forehead. "Let's go." They walked out of the room, hand-in-hand, unseen.

Once they arrived at his door, Will ran inside, making sure Tessa stayed in the hallway so she didn't know where he hid the blade. He came out a few minutes later, empty-handed. "I can't seem to find what I'm looking for, I can bring it to you later." he said, closing his door behind himself.

"That will be fine." Tessa said, looking down the hall. "Can we go eat now?" she asked, looking to the floor out of slight embarrassment. It wasn't like she'd asked him a personal question, but it felt awkward for her, considering how she thought of food. She looked back up at him, only to see a grin on his face. Will nodded and looped his arm around hers and they began walking to the dining room.

* * *

When they were one turn away from the dining room, Will let Tessa's hand fall. "From what I remember, you do not wish to be yet seen with me in this manor?" Will asked as they both halted. Tessa nodded and continued walking. Though Will was right, she couldn't help but feel slightly hurt. She knew that she told him she wasn't ready for anyone to know, but there was still a feeling of sadness that their love was to be hidden. A part of Tessa's mind screamed at her _it doesn't have to be hidden! _but, she knew she wasn't ready for that attention, especially with how Will had been to her, and how the others thought of him. With a sigh, she turned the corner and entered the dinging room, sitting down, leaving one seat empty between her and Jem.

"Good evening, Tessa." Jem said to her, smiling. Tessa smiled back.

"Yes, good evening." She noticed Jem looked slightly happier than usual, it was..._ odd. _He never really was sad or cross, but he just looked too excited about something. Just before Jem was about to speak again, Will interrupted by seating himself between the two, creating a barrier.

"Hello Jem." Will said, turning to face Jem. Jem was still smiling as he nodded at Will.

"Hello Will. Are you alright?" Jem asked, his smile slowly fading to a look of slight concern for his _parabatai_.

"I'm quite alright. Are you?" Will asked, an edge in his voice.

"Very. I was just speaking to Tessa." He said, his smile returning slightly. Will nodded and turned to Tessa.

"What did he say to you?" Will whispered harshly. Tessa rolled her eyes at him.

"Honestly William, you really think it matters?" She shook her head as she spoke, Will didn't look too pleased about not knowing. He wanted Jem to know Tessa was _his_... not officially yet, but soon...

"No, no it does not, _Theresa._" Will said back in a quiet, deep voice.

"Good. Now, I would like to return to my food." Tessa said, turning her attention to the plate infront of her as she ate. Will did the same, as did Jem, eyeing the pair suspiciously. He wondered why they always spoke quietly when talking to one another. Usually Will was a loud enough person to be heard. But Tessa, she was something else completely.

* * *

**A/N. So, how did you like it? I know I pretty much have said this every chapter, but I _really_ would like some ideas. I _do_ know where I want this to go, but I want to know if there's anything anyone wants to see done, I want to make this story a good one, and I want some of your ideas... ****And, if they aren't in the next chapter or so, don't think I ignored them. I will try my best to incorporate them all, but I can't fit anything in wherever without it seeming too abrupt or awkward... From the few things I've had sent to me, I really like them. They really help inspire me to write more.**

**Feel free to PM me for any ideas/things you want to see happen (I will take them into consideration... as long as they're reasonable requests), or drop me a review, tell me how I did?**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N. ****Chapter 10! Wow, this feels like a HUGE accomplishment. I would like to thank everyone who has been following, reviewing and reading this, whether you've been here since I started, or if you're just stumbling upon this now. I really appreciate you taking time out of your day to read this.**

* * *

"No, no it does not, _Theresa._" Will said back in a quiet, deep voice.

"Good. Now, I would like to return to my food." Tessa said, turning her attention to the plate infront of her as she ate. Will did the same, as did Jem, eyeing the pair suspiciously. He wondered why they always spoke quietly when talking to one another. Usually Will was a loud enough person to be heard. But Tessa, she was something else completely. Jem never found it odd how Tessa never was one to speak, but what he _did_ find odd was when she did, it seemed to be minimally, or only to Will.

"What are you doing?" Will asked his _parabatai,_ Jem looked down and realized he was scratching the table with his fork, staring off at nothing.

"I just lost my train of thought." Jem replied coolly. Will nodded slowly, furrowing his brows, before turning back to his own diner. _Nice save, Jem. Nice save. _Jem thought to himself, although Will probably didn't believe him. Just then, Henry entered the room. He was covered from head to toe in smoke and dust.

"What blew up this time, Henry?" Will asked sarcastically. Charlotte stood up and walked over to her husband.

"Is everything alright?" she asked, wiping the dust from his face with a handkerchief.

"Of course, Lottie! Everything is grand!" Henry burst out, throwing his hands in the air.

"What have you done this time?" Will asked, _yet again,_ without any real interest.

"I'm working on a device, and I think I may _almost_ have the correct formula! It's wonderful!" Henry exclaimed as he and Charlotte walked back to the table, sitting down, holding hands.

"What kind of _device_ are you working on?" Jem asked, curiously, from his seat. Henry smiled, it was rare anyone seemed to show any genuine interest in his devices.

"I can't say too much, but, what I do know is that it may be able to dismantle the automatons!" Henry beamed. Will looked surprised, as did Jem. Tessa was hardly paying attention as she slowly picked at her food. "I know, I know. It seems completely mad, but, I nearly have it right. And when I do..." Henry looked up, as if the future of his greatness was being displayed on the ceiling. Charlotte smiled as she looked around, noticing an empty seat.

"Where's Jessamine?" She looked behind her and around the room. "I could have sworn I saw her earlier." Charlotte looked confused as she looked to the others for answer.

"Well, she has been saying she isn't feeling well." Jem said, and Charlotte took it for the answer.

"So, off those matters, what time shall we be leaving for York?" Will asked, looking to Charlotte. She sighed.

"Well, it is a rather long trip. You will leave early in the morning, and arriving that evening." Charlotte stated. Everyone nodded as they finished their dinners, and soon left the room.

* * *

Tessa was sitting in her room alone. She and Will had decided they would see each other each night, only_ after _everyone had fallen asleep. She looked impatiently at the clock. A quarter past 11 at night. She stood up and began to slowly walk to her door, looking out into the halls, and tiptoeing down the halls, to the library.

After getting lost only once, she arrived at their meeting spot, and sat down on the same sofa she had been on the previous night; glancing at the clock, it read _11:27_. There were still three minutes before their official time of half past eleven. She remained on the sofa, leaning her head back, her eyelids becoming heavier and heavier, so tired from the day.

But before much, she heard foot steps. Without looking, she knew it'd be Will. She _thought_ it would be. "Will," was all she said, before turning around, before seeing a familiar face. But _not _Will. It was not her saving grace, coming to rescue her. It was the complete opposite, really. It was _Mortmain._ He was here. He was reaching out to grab her. All she had time to do was scream-

"Tess! Wake up!" Tessa opened her eyes; now _this_ was Will. "Tess, it's just a dream." Will was holding her shoulders, gently shaking her, as she screamed. Her eyes flooded with tears, she quickly wrapped her arms around him, he returned the embrace, stroking her hair. "_You're okay. Everything's alright."_ he whispered as she wept softly into his chest. "Just tell me what happened." He cradled her in his lap.

"It was him... He came for... for me." She was still terrified, still afraid, even though it was only but a dream. Will already knew who she was referring to. He held Tessa closer -if that's even possible- and slowly rocked her, like a child, as she tried her best to stop, or just slow her tears.

"Tessa, you _know_ I would never let that happen to you, right? I will never let him take you away from me." Will said reassuringly to her. She wiped the tears from her eyes, and smiled at him.

"You would protect me?" She asked, her voice raw from her crying... again. Will nodded.

"Of course I would." He leaned in and kissed her. Tessa still had a few stray tears fall, but Will wiped them away, as he held her close, as she remained in his lap, with his arms around her. It was wrong. _So wrong._ She could almost hear her aunt Harriet screaming at her; but Tessa didn't care, because it felt _so right._

After a long time of sitting together, _a lot_ of kissing, and chatting back and forth, Tessa leaned her head against Will's shoulder, ready to fall asleep. "Should we retire to bed?" he asked. She nodded weakly, she rolled off him, and stood up. Will followed, standing up as they walked down the halls, -his arm around her waist, hers around his shoulder- to Tessa's room. She opened her door, and they walked in. Tessa needed to get changed still, but Will wasn't going to let her, as he stared intently at her.

"Will, please have some decency, and turn away so I can change." Tessa ordered.

"Why must I look away? Last night you didn't mind." he said, watching Tessa's face redden.

"You did not!" she whisper-yelled as Will smiled and shook his head.

"Unfortunately, I didn't. But, I regret it now." He winked at her, in return for an eye-roll from her.

"Well, turn around, or leave the room for the rest of the night." she stated. Will sighed, turning to face the wall. "And no peeking!" she added as she to the side, keeping him on her left, and another wall on her right, and started to undress and redress as quickly as possible. When she turned to face him again, he was already facing her, smirking.

"That was quite a pleasant view." he remarked. Tessa was ready to slap that smirk off his face. _How did you miss him turn around!_ she mentally scolded herself.

"Please tell me you honestly did not watch me get changed." she begged.

"I don't think I can say that." Will shrugged. _Great,_ she thought, _not only did I miss him turn, but he saw me, side profile, naked!_ She felt embarrassed.

"Get out." She walked over to him, grabbing his arm and shoving him to the door. Will laughed as she shoved him, but immediately stopped upon seeing a tear fall down her face. _Oh ,you _really_ screwed up this time, Herondale._ he scolded himself.

"No, Tess. I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to hurt you, I really didn't mean it like that!" Will stopped his rambling and tilted her head up to face him. She was grinning at him. Will was unamused, but couldn't help but smile. "I really didn't hurt you did I?" Tessa shrugged.

"Actually, you did. But, upon further observation, I should have seen this coming. It's my fault." She sighed, walking over to her bed, laying down. "Are you coming?" she called over from the bed. Will smiled and climbed in. He put his arm around Tessa, protecting her from whatever to come, as she rested her head on his chest.

"I'm sorry, Tessa." Will apologized, feeling guilt. She turned her head up and kissed his cheek.

"Don't be. It's not entirely your fault." She said, nearly asleep.

"Alright. Goodnight, Tess." he said, yawning.

"I love you, Will." Tessa whispered sleepily.

"And I love you, Tess." Will returned as they fell into a deep, peaceful, slumber.

* * *

**A/N. Aww, wasn't that great? I really needed them to have a little fight, I needed to have Will mess up... It just came to me. I'm really trying to improve my fluff, and I really think this is pretty good. It was one of those chapters that's _really_ awkward to write, but at the same time, really fun.**

**And, I apologize for delaying the trip to York... I wanted to add a bunch of other things, before that, and ended up adding in _a lot_ more that I expected... But, as of the next chapter, they will _officially_ be leaving. **

**Also, I'd love it if you guys wouldn't mind checking out the poll I recently put up on my profile page... It's in regards to my Wessa story, should I continue it or not? I'd love it if you would vote!**

**Happy Halloween!**

**Feel free to PM me for any ideas/things you want to see happen (I will take them into consideration... as long as they're reasonable requests), or drop me a review, tell me how I did?**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N. Finally, the trip to York will begin... near the end... I was still trying to cram in a bunch of stuff and... yeah... But, it worked out quite nicely, if I do say so myself. So, without any more annoying rambling, here is chapter 11!**

* * *

"I love you, Will." Tessa whispered sleepily.

"And I love you, Tess." Will returned as they fell into a deep, peaceful, slumber.

* * *

In the morning, Tessa awoke to a noise outside. Will was still holding her, but he was obviously awake. "What's that?" she asked, bolting upright, scanning the room.

"They're just getting the carriage ready for us." he replied coolly. She nodded, laying back down.

"Shouldn't we get up now?" Tessa asked, rolling over, on top of Will. He smiled at her.

"Well now I don't want to." He smirked, grabbing her waist, holding her on him. Tessa leaned down and kissed him.

"Let's go. Before Sophie gets here." Tessa said, rolling off Will, standing with her arms crossed over her chest. Will sighed and stood up.

"Fine. but only because I don't want to be shoved into that dreadful wardrobe again." Will said, dramatically. Tessa shook her head, rolling her eyes. He walked behind her, wrapping his arms around hers, over her chest, swaying side to side with her, his head leaning down on her shoulder. "You're beautiful." Will said out of nowhere.

"Thank you." Tessa smiled at him, even though he couldn't see it.

She still had to stop herself sometimes just to take in the beauty of her life now. She had something she'd wanted for a long time. And that was a man who would love her, unconditionally. Someone that she could tell all her secrets, someone who could relate to her on some level, even if she didn't know why. And that was Will. Though something was missing. She always imagined when she found someone who made her feel the way she does now, that maybe she would know them better than she knew herself, that they could be 100% honest with each other, no secrets, no one-sided conversations. And that wasn't Will.

"Are you going to do anything, or can we just stand here like this forever?" Will asked, kissing her cheek. She smiled and turned in his arms. When she turned, she saw a look of concern wash up onto Will's face.

"What is it?" Tessa asked, self-consciously.

"Why are you crying?" He lifted his hand to wipe away a tear that found its way down her face. She realized she must've been because the slight emptiness in her heart. But, instead of saying anything, she just brushed it off.

"I think I got something in my eye." Tessa said, blinking a few times for good measure. Will nodded, pulling back from her.

"Well, as much as I'd like to stay here with you, I should get out of here. I agree with what you said, we don't want a repeat of yesterday." He kissed her cheek, and went over to the door. Before he could leave, the door-knob started turning. It was too late for anything. Will froze as the door opened, revealing Jem.

"Tessa, we should-" Jem stopped speaking when he saw Will. "What on earth are you doing here?" he asked, confused. _Oh I'm screwed. Royally, this time._ Will thought as Tessa walked up next to him.

"Oh, Jem. It's nothing. He just came to wake me up." Tessa explained. Will couldn't help but smile at her. She was becoming good at improvising scenarios, almost as good as himself.

"Okay, well, I should leave you then. I will see you soon then." Jem said, awkwardly walking back to the door.

"Oh, and Jem," Tessa called after him. Jem turned to see what she wanted. "Please knock. I wouldn't enjoy it if I wasn't completely ready and you walked in. It'd be rather uncomfortable." she said, Jem blushed and nodded, hurrying out of the room, shutting the door behind himself.

"You seem to be getting my quick thinking." Will remarked as Tessa stood by the door. She smiled.

"I learned from the best." Tessa said, walking back over to him. He grabbed her hands, pulled her forwards, and kissed her, then stepped back.

"I _really_ need to leave. I want to assure that I have everything ready, and I do not wish to have anymore people walking in." He walked to the door, waving a hand, before leaving.

When the door shut, Tessa waited for Sophie to help her dress. Soon after she was ready, Tessa walked over to the corner of the room where she had set her trunk, and dragged it over to the door. It was heavy despite the small quantity of supplies she had, just her two dresses and a few hygiene products. Nothing more, nothing less. She was not planning on bringing a book, it would distract her too much, but if she were to stumble upon anything, maybe she would. She grabbed her trunk and with a sigh, began to carry the heavy thing down the halls.

* * *

Tessa, Will and Jem were gathered down in the lobby, ready to leave. Jem and Will were talking back and forth, completely friendly as usual. But Jem seemed to be _happier_ than usual. It was nice. He seemed to have more colour in his skin, and a more cheerful aura. Once they looked up from each other, they noticed Tessa and walked over to her. "Are you excited?" Jem asked, smiling.

"Yes, very!" Tessa replied, returning the smile. She looked to Will and noticed he didn't look quite a excited as herself and Jem. But, that was Will, and he was still a mystery, yet to be uncovered.

"Well, we have a long trip ahead of us; we best be on our way." Will said walking towards the door, followed by Jem, then, by Tessa.

Will hopped up onto the carriage, Jem stepped aside, letting Tessa through. She smiled as Will grabbed her hand from inside, helping her in. Jem was in quickly after Tessa and took his seat next to Will. Tessa was sitting alone opposite to them. "This is exciting!" she beamed. Jem smiled and Will shrugged.

"It won't be on the train. It's still not too late to back out..." He mumbled his last sentence, but she still heard it loud and clear.

"Oh, Will. Don't be like that. You know it's not nearly as bad as you make it out to be." Jem said, playfully shoving his _parabatai._

"Fine, but don't say I never warned you." Will said spitefully, looking out the window as they began moving. Though it wasn't her first carriage ride, Tessa was unprepared for the sudden movement, sending her flying into Will. He caught her, helping her back to her seat.

"Are you alright?" Jem asked concerned by her fall. Tessa nodded.

"I'm fine. I'm just still not quite accustomed to carriages and being pitched forwards by the movements." said Tessa, laughing at herself for being as clumsy as she was.

"Maybe you should sit on this side, so you only lean back." Jem offered, making room between Will and himself for Tessa. She thought about it, and went and sat between the boys. It was a tight fit, but they all managed to sit all three together, before Jem stood up. "I'm sorry, but I can't sit here. I need to breathe. I hope you don't mind." he said as he went to the other side, facing them, to sit.

"It's not problem." Will piped up, after his long silence. Jem smiled at his _parabatai_ as Tessa nodded.

"No problem at all." she whispered, only loud enough for Will to hear. Jem nodded, stretching his arms out, lounging lazily against his seat. It seemed more like something Will would do, rather than Jem.

"Well, by the looks of it," Jem looked out the window. "We're almost at the station." he said, earning an excited look from Tessa and one of annoyance from Will.

"This is so exciting!" Tessa exclaimed. Jem smiled, he was glad she was enjoying herself. Will on the other hand, he was not all too happy about her coming. It wasn't necessarily that he wanted her to stay home, but, he wanted her to be safe.

The carriage stopped and Cyril came around, opening the door. Jem hopped out first, offering his hand to Tessa. She accepted his help down, and soon after she was on her feet, Will was next to her. They grabbed their bags and walked into the station.

Once they arrived, it was quick to get on the train. Will sat facing one way, and Jem, the other. Tessa wasn't sure where to sit. On one hand, she longed to cuddle up next to Will, but on the other, Jem had been so nice to her during this whole trip. "Are you going to sit, or not?" Will asked impatiently, crossing his arms. Tessa quickly took her seat next to Will, who had a ghost of a smile on his lips.

"Well, we have a rather long train ride ahead of us." Jem said to the pair across from him, who were sitting rather closely together...

* * *

**A/N. Now they leave... _Now_, they have left... I really feel like I made that take waaaay too long. But, it was only morning when they discussed the topic of leaving to York anyways...**

*********On a side note, for later chapters... I've been thinking about bringing Cecily into this earlier on... what do you guys think? I mean, the trip to Ravenscar Manor will _definitely_ be within the next few chapters, and I thought maybe Cecily could be brought in around then, or later, or never. I'm not sure yet, but I'd love some input on the idea. The only thing I'm worried about is whether or not it's going to change the whole storyline too much... Either way, I'd love if you could go to my page and vote on the poll! (I ask you of this now so I have some advanced input on how the chapter will go... whenever it is.)****

**Feel free to PM me for any ideas/things you want to see happen (I will take them into consideration... as long as they're reasonable requests... _Keep in mind that this is a 'T' rated story_), or drop me a review, tell me how I did?**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N. **Prepare yourselves... There will be Heronstairs friendship feels ahead! ****

**There will be some spoilers in this chapter if you haven't read Clockwork Prince and Clockwork Princess... Mainly about Will's curse and Jem's sickness, and a bit on Will's background. But since it's a small look at all that, and a short part, it should be fine.**

**And note, I said _friendship!_ This isn't gonna be Heronstairs romance. (I have nothing against it. I'm just saying it's not.)**

* * *

Once they arrived, it was quick to get on the train. Will sat facing one way, and Jem, the other. Tessa wasn't sure where to sit. On one hand, she longed to cuddle up next to Will, but on the other, Jem had been so nice to her during this whole trip. "Are you going to sit, or not?" Will asked impatiently, crossing his arms. Tessa quickly took her seat next to Will, who had a ghost of a smile on his lips.

"Well, we have a rather long train ride ahead of us." Jem said to the pair across from him, who were sitting rather closely together. Will nodded, Tessa smiled and Jem yawned. "I don't know about you, but I think I'm going to sleep for awhile. Wake me when we're at the half." he said, readjusting himself, so he was sitting sideways, leaning back against the side-wall and shutting his eyes. Tessa was feeling a bit tired herself. She leaned into Will, who wrapped an arm around her. He kissed her forehead. Tessa smiled as the train whistle blared and they began moving.

"Did you bring along a book?" Will asked to a nearly sleeping Tessa. She shook her head weakly.

"I didn't find anything that caught my eye, or was of any interest to me." she replied. "And, I don't want to be distracted on this trip." she added, closing her eyes. Will nodded and looked over at Jem. He noticed that, in recent days, Jem had seemed more upbeat, like something happened. He almost seemed _normal_. But, Will knew, it would come back. Jem's sickness would return, and one of these days, it will be his end. Shaking his head to clear the thoughts, Will mentally scolded himself, _we will find a cure, we have to._ But he knew, deep in his heart, Jem would never let them look for a cure, and it hurt.

It hurt to think of a world without his _parabatai._ Jem was as big a piece in his life as himself, he was _more_ than that. Will tried to rid himself of his thoughts, but to no avail. It was hard to love anyone, it was hard to share emotion with anyone. Jem was the first person he allowed himself to show any emotion for after he fled from his home, after he was cursed. And it was all because he knew Jem was dying. He knew it wouldn't be his fault, but he felt an indescribable feeling. He felt like he was _only_ Jem's friend _because_ he was already dying, but it wasn't that. It was never that.

It was so much more. Will had isolated himself for six months, then Jem showed up. A sickly young boy, around his age, with black and silver streaked hair, fair skin and dark grey eyes, almost silver. But Will didn't see him as who he did now. Then, he saw Jem as another person to shut out. He saw him as someone who would never keep up with himself. but buried deep, Will saw something else. He saw something he longed to have, _a friend._ But now, now Will saw his best friend, he saw his better half. And it made his heart contract to think of being alive in a world without Jem.

All his emotions were overwhelming, but he was an expert at hiding them, and it had become easy to rid his face of all emotion. Looking around, clearing his mind, he noticed Tessa had fallen completely asleep in his arms. He smiled down at her and planted a feather light kiss on her cheek. And then, he was back to his blank emotionless expression, hiding all thoughts from everyone and anyone looking his way.

* * *

When they were nearly halfway through their trip, Will was nearly asleep. Tessa was still asleep, as was Jem... But not for long. Tessa was still leaning heavily on Will, and his arm was still around her. Everything was rather peaceful, until Jem's eyes opened. "Will what are you doing?" Jem asked, sitting up. Will just about jumped out of his seat, startling a sleeping Tessa.

"Nothing!" Will exclaimed, Tessa just groaned, her eyes still closed, as she cuddled up more to Will.

"Calm yourself, I'm still sleeping." she mumbled. Jem raised an eyebrow, and Will tried to push her away, gently, always gently.

"Tessa, I think you need to wake up now." Will urged, his eyes darting between his sleeping beauty and Jem. "_Now_, Tessa." Will spoke sharply, as Tessa sat up.

"I'm just _so_ tired." Tessa complained, rubbing her eyes, before she noticed Jem. When she saw him, wide-awake, she too nearly jumped out of her seat. "Oh, Jem, you're awake," she said, looking down to her feet, "and you're looking at me..." she whispered, embarrassed.

"Yes, I am." Jem stated, looking at the two suspiciously. "Is something going on here?" he asked indicating the two of them.

"NO!" Will and Tessa exclaimed in unison. They then looked at each other, and moved away from one another. Jem was a mix of confused and mildly entertained.

"Okay, then." Jem looked around, feeling awkward for addressing the topic, but still curious.

"How much longer until we're there?" Tessa asked, in hopes to change the topic. Will jumped on the subject change immediately.

"In about two more hours, at least." He looked out the window. "Possibly three, we've already passed through Stamford, but not much further." Will stated, looking to Jem. "So what should we do to pass the time?" he asked. Jem smirked, in such an un-Jem-like way, and said,

"I'm not sure about myself, but the two of you looked rather entertained moments ago." Tessa felt very ashamed, and Will just hid it all behind a scowl.

"This is not necessary, _James_." Will ground out.

"Whatever you say, _William_." Jem replied, with just as much sharpness. _James? William? This is getting serious..._ Tessa thought, remembering whenever her Aunt Harriet would call her or Nate by their full name, they were usually in trouble, or in an important talk.

"So," Tessa interjected, "what are we going to be doing when we arrive?" Tessa asked, once again eager to change the subject. Jem smiled, looking at Tessa, and back to Will.

"I'm not sure about myself, but-"

"Enough, James!" Will exclaimed. For once in his life, Will was almost ready to slap Jem. He knew, there were countless times Will deserved a good slap from Jem, but, this wasn't just Will who was bothered. Tessa was clearly embarrassed and affected by his words too.

"Okay, fine, fine. I'm done." Jem sighed, "you know, I was only joking. I know nothing is really happening."

"You do?" Tessa asked, astonished. She would have expected teasing like this from Will, but not so much from Jem.

"Well yes, it's pretty clear that this morning, Will was only waking you up. And, clearly you had fallen asleep, and Will was just trying to be a gentleman, and secure you. Trains can be quite jostling." Jem said, with a dismissive wave of his hand and a smile. Will felt a sense of relief wash through him, and Tessa was walking on air.

"So, now off this ridiculous topic, how are we introducing ourselves to this man?" Tessa asked, curiously.

"Well, he knows we are Shadowhunters, and Charlotte didn't say much about you. But, we did go over this yesterday. You are a mundane, and my fiancée." Jem said, smiling at Tessa.

"I know we discussed this earlier, but, I do have a question about that." Tessa said, looking back and froth between the two boys.

"Go ahead." Jem was listening, as was Will.

"I've wondered, is that allowed? I thought Shadowhunters could not marry mundanes." Will tensed beside Tessa.

"You ask too many questions." he growled. Tessa felt bad for asking, clearly having insulted Will. But Jem just shook his head at him.

"The more she knows the better. It will help her seem like an Ascendant." Jem pointed out. Will just shook his head.

"I need to walk, my legs are numb." And with that, Will got up, and walked out of their train cabin.

"Did I say something wrong?" Tessa asked, concerned. Jem shook his head and smiled at her.

"With Will, you never know. But, I wouldn't worry much about it." Jem said, Tessa nodded, relieved that all was well.

* * *

**A/N. Yeah, Jem was kinda OOC in this chapter, but I just thought it would be necessary to set up some suspicions...**

** Now, off that topic! How were the Heronstairs feels? It destroyed me to write them, I was in full out tears while writing about Will's curse, Jem's sickness, and how their friendship began. It killed me, I just love their relationship to each other and how well they represent the true meaning of _'parabatai'_ it's just so amazing!**

**I also want to quickly say, I don't know much about traversing the UK... So, if I messed up on anything, I'm sorry. I hope what I wrote was accurate, but, I'm not sure how/if things have changed since 1878, and Google Maps only knows so much... Sorry if I messed something up!**

**Feel free to PM me for any ideas/things you want to see happen (I will take them into consideration... as long as they're reasonable requests), or drop me a review, tell me how I did?**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N. Ooooh, unlucky 13! Who's getting killed-off in this chapter?**

* * *

"Did I say something wrong?" Tessa asked, concerned. Jem shook his head and smiled at her.

"With Will, you never know. But, I wouldn't worry much about it." Jem said, Tessa nodded, relieved that all was well, hopefully. "Anyways, your question. To answer it, no. It is allowed, but not in all cases. If one wishes to wed a mundane, they are to apply for an ascension to the Clave. Usually they are given several months before the application is approved, and during that time, they are to use it to study and train to be a Shadowhunter." Jem explained. Tessa nodded, trying to keep up. "However, in some cases, if the applicant is turned down for one reason or another, the marriage is not valid. But, it can still happen if the Shadowhunter agrees to sever all ties to the Shadowhunting world and life, then, it can still happen." Jem finished.

"That seems rather strict. If they're turned down, you can't marry unless you abandon everything you've known? That just sounds awful." Tessa said, shocked.

"And it's why most don't. With Shadowhunters, we tend to marry early because our life spans tend to be shorter, and, even though this life has a high chance to kill us, abandoning it for one person can be hard." Jem said, just as Will reappeared.

"Are you done?" He asked, flopping down next to Jem.

"What? Talking?" Tessa asked, rolling her eyes.

"Yes." Will said, smirking.

"Well, not really. But, we can stop, I'm sure you have nothing of importance to do." Jem nudged Will.

"So, on the former topic, should I be wearing a ring, or something?" Tessa asked, ignoring Will's eye roll. Jem seemed to ponder the idea before he slid off his ring.

"You can wear this." He dropped the ring into Tessa's hand. It had a '_C_' on it, and a symbol, like a castle, on either side.

"It's beautiful." Tessa admired the ring, sliding it onto her left ring finger.

"It's my Carstairs ring. When Shadowhunters exchange family rings, it means things are quite serious." Jem said, looking at Tessa, who held her hand to, admiring the ring.

"Oh, well thank you, Jem. I promise to give it back to you when we leave." Tessa looked up at Jem, who was smiling. She glanced at Will who looked rather uncomfortable, and changed the topic, _again_. "So, is there anything that we should caution while we're there?"

"You needn't worry about a single thing, if you had stayed back at the Institute." Will muttered to himself. Jem gave him a disapproving look.

"Will, you need to drop it. She is here, and she will stay until we _all_ leave." Jem scolded. Will rolled his eyes and Tessa smiled.

"Thank you, Jem_._ You are such a gentleman." Tessa praised, Jem blushed faintly, but on his pale skin, it was as clear as day. Will looked at Tessa, clearly annoyed by her comment, but that was exactly what Tessa was trying to do.

The rest of the trip went on mostly silent, mind the few conversations that occasionally started, but died down fairly quickly. Once the trio arrived at the station, they stepped off of the train, and wandered around until they were met by a man, in about his mid 40's, who greeted them as their ride to the York Institute. It was a rather short carriage ride, it felt like seconds, after the long train ride.

When they arrived, they were met by several maids and servants who took their bags and ran them to rooms, before returning to start on dinner. Tessa wandered the halls with the boys, looking at all the large pictures hung on the walls. Will and Jem looked confused and disgusted at the vast number of photos of a young girl and several others hung in each corridor. "The way he _decorates_ the place." Will said quietly to the group.

"It's as if he _owns_ the place." remarked Jem. Will nodded in agreement.

"What's so bad about it?" Tessa asked, confused as to why this would be a problem.

"Well, I mean look at the place..." Will gestured to the pictures hung throughout the hall-way. "There are nearly more photographs in this hall way than there is wall space!" he exclaimed, annoyed. Tessa looked around her, he did have a point, though it was only this hall that held so many photos. The rest had less than three. Mind the huge portrait of a sickly looking young girl on the wall at the staircase.

"I don't think it matters, really. He just wants to have pictures of his loved ones, they clearly left, so what's it matter?" Tessa asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You don't get it. He doesn't _own_ the Institute. He only gets to be the head, when you take on the roll of head of an institute, you are not to do what you please with it, for you are not the only one who lives there, and it's just plain bizarre for visitors." Will shuddered, looking down the gloomy halls. "I honestly don't want to keep walking. Really. The witchlight burns unusually low in this place, and I really would not enjoy running face first into the next wall." Will said, turning on his heels, Tessa fallowing suit and Jem rolling his eyes before joining his _parabatai_ and mock fiancée.

After a long time wandering the halls again, they wound up at a big door. Being the curious person she was, Tessa wanted to take a peek inside, but Will quickly stopped her, his hand on hers, "Tess, do not open that door." Will scolded with wide eyes.

"And what does it matter?" Tessa protested, putting her hands at her sides.

"Well, honestly Tessa, you really shouldn't go around opening other people's doors." Jem said, shrugging. Will nodded.

"Fine, I apologize for nearly intruding." Tessa put her hands up in surrender. Will smiled and Jem just continued walking, leaving the two of them, alone... well, two meters behind himself. Tessa smiled at the faint privacy, taking the few seconds to plant a quick kiss on Will's cheek, before catching up with Jem. Will smiled at her _that's my Tessa, _he thought, putting his hand to where she had kissed him before catching up with Tessa and Jem. A servant had met them on their aimless wandering, informing them of dinner being ready. "Good, I'm famished!" Will exclaimed, following the servant down to the dining room.

* * *

If anyone was expecting a beautiful dinner of delicious fresh food, they were in the wrong place. For the only food on this table, seemed to be stale old bread, some very unappetizing gooey stew, and some unidentifiable vegetable. Will prodded at the vegetable with his fork "What _is_ this?" he asked, barley audibly, to Jem. Jem, being the courageous boy he was, took a bite of it, chewing it carefully, studying the flavour, before swallowing.

"It's a parsnip." Jem claimed.

*"A parsnip planted in Satan's own garden." remarked Will. He glanced about, "I don't suppose there's a dog I could feed it to."

"There don't seem to be any pets about," Jem, who loved all animals, even that beast of a cat Church, observed.

"Oh, just be brave and at least _pretend_ to eat it." Tessa scoffed, taking a bite for herself, then, making a sour face. "On second thought, don't" she gagged. Will made a face, saying _I told you so_.

"Good evening." A voice boomed from the other side of the table. The trio looked up, looking to the voice. It was Aloysius Starkweather. "I would apologize for being late, when in fact, you were early." Tessa nodded, but the boys simply narrowed their eyes at the old man, studying him carefully, before slowly nodding.

"So, when are we going to discuss-" Tessa began, but was stopped by Will kicking her under the table. She shot him a pained glare, and he shrugged apologetically before Jem chimed in.

"Not yet. We aren't ready to bring it up yet. And before you say anything, he knows that's why we're here, but we shouldn't bring that up on our first conversation." Jem spoke softly to her.

* * *

**A/N. I kid, I kid! I'm not killing anyone off in this..._ yet_... But, I just had to have something terrifying in the A/N eventually!**

**(Now for the actual important note)  
****Okay, I brought up the trip to York in Chapter 6. They arrive in Chapter 13... Also a point I want to re-address, If you do not see your idea right away, I tend to do things like this. I put excessive detailing, and I can't just put a certain thing in wherever 'n the hell I want. It just doesn't work right. But, I will put other things in, if they fit into what's going on. So, again, if you don't see your idea, I promise, it's probably on my list somewhere, it just might not be used right away. (as long as it would fit in to a 'T' rated story. 'M' rated material does not belong in this.)**

**Once again, I would like to bring up Cecily. The trip to Ravenscar manor will begin in the next chapter, and I would love some more votes on the poll, so if you wouldn't mind taking a few minutes out of your day, I'd love it if you went to my profile, clicked on the poll (it's at the top, for those who don't know) and vote on what you would like to see. I will close it once the next chapter is up, and put the 'Wessa' poll back up then, I would still love votes on that!**

**Btw, after re-reading this chapter, I realized it was kinda lame... Sorry if it sucked, nothing really exciting happened...**

***Clockwork Prince; Page 105**

**Feel free to PM me for any ideas/things you want to see happen (I will take them into consideration... as long as they're reasonable requests), or drop me a review, tell me how I did?**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N. CHAPTER 14 HAS NOW BEEN RELEASED! I have absolutely no idea why I wrote what I did, the way I did... Anyways, prepare yourselves for a short, but sweet, fluffy Wessa scene in the middle... I hope everyone like this chapter!**

* * *

"So, when are we going to discuss-" Tessa began, but was stopped by Will kicking her under the table. She shot him a pained glare, and he shrugged apologetically before Jem chimed in.

"Not yet. We aren't ready to bring it up yet. And before you say anything, he knows that's why we're here, but we shouldn't bring that up on our first conversation." Jem spoke softly to her. Tessa nodded, but still not completely understanding as to why she could not address the reason they came.

The dinner carried on pretty silently. Once everyone finished, the table was cleared, and the trio was escorted by Aloysius Starkweather out of the room. "I'm under the impression you have all showed yourselves around the Institute and have been shown to your rooms, correct?" he asked. Will and Jem nodded, and Tessa did soon after, seeing as the others were. "Great. Less things I must do. Now, refresh my memories. Why did Charlotte send you, _Shadowhunters,_ here, and, _her_?"

"Well, our friend is my fiancée, and Ascendant. And why are we here? To see if you could aid us, in any way on our investigation in finding the whereabouts of Mortmain. In short, can you supply us with any information on the Shades?" Jem explained, earning a look of shock from Will. Jem wasn't always the one to take initiative in the missions, but he surprised them all by being the first to speak. The old man nodded in response.

"We'll get to that later. I can say though, that in my hunt for my spoils, they would have been a nice addition to my collection." Aloysius remarked. Tessa cocked her head to the side.

"Spoils? What are those?" she asked, innocently. Will and Jem noticeably tensed. Aloysius laughed.

"My dear, if you haven't seen spoils before, I'd be glad to show you mine." he said as they turned down another hall, leading to the door Tessa was so drawn to earlier and nearly opened. He opened the door, and Tessa nearly fell back at the shock of seeing severed heads of people with things like antlers, or an extra eye or so. She began panting heavily, feeling nauseated at the sights of what she saw. Aloysius stepped in, signaling for the trio to follow him, but Tessa wasn't going to budge. Will stayed back and Jem took one step forward.

"Tess, you need to know it isn't like this anymore." Will murmured to her, but she could hardly hear anything he said as her mind started swimming in the darkness. Jem was quick to talk, trying to get them all to move on from here. While Will, was cradling her as she began to sink into him.

"My fiancée, she's never seen spoils. Doesn't fancy that sort of thing... sight of blood..." Jem's voice became a distant whisper as she was engulfed by the darkness.

* * *

_Tessa was laying on a table, her chest was cut open, she was still breathing, though she had no more lungs or a heart. Inside her chest, was all intricate work of metal and wire. She was an automaton. She never was real. Around her, voices floated through the air, "I can hardly believe the work on her. She is a masterpiece" was one voice, followed by another's response, "I completely agree. She's such a lovely piece of art. Almost hard to believe she wasn't human. The way she could talk, walk and do everything, was perfection." There was a laugh, and more talking, but Tessa could only stare in fear, seeing her _true_ self, seeing herself split open, looking down as if from another's point of view, all she did was scream. Scream at the monstrous _thing_ she was, scream at what she never thought to be true._

Tessa shot up, like lightening, screaming. _So that part was real._ She thought. Looking to the doorway, she saw it was wide open, and in the doorframe, now rushing over to her, was Will. He was quick to pull her into his arms, he was quick to get to her before her emotions did. He held her, tight in his arms, stroking her hair whispering over and over, "_you're fine, it's alright, I'm here, you're safe, you're alright, everything is alright."_

"It felt so real. It just all seemed so real." Tessa whispered into his chest, her voice shaky and weak. Will kissed the top of her head, pulling back to look her in the eyes.

"I know how real dreams can feel. I know Tess, I know." He cradled her in his arms, sitting with her on the edge of the bed.

"It just felt so real, I have no way to say otherwise." Tessa shook her head, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"It wasn't. Whatever it was, whatever happened, it was just a dream. A really horrible dream." Will soothed. "Damn that Starkweather for showing you such atrocities. You need to know that it isn't like that anymore. Spoils aren't prohibited anymore. I would never let anything happen to you." Will laid his head on hers, glancing at the clock, in the dimly lit corner, _3:48_. "Tess, it's too early to be awake, you need to go back to sleep." Will said, lifting his head and repositioning himself. Tessa shook her head.

"I don't want to sleep. I don't want the nightmares." She cuddled up closer to Will, who knew he couldn't stay but ached to. He stood up, leaving Tessa to look up at him with a pout.

"Don't give me that. I can't sleep here, I can't do that. I want to, so much. If it meant keeping you safe from the dreams, chasing away the nightmares, keeping them out of your head, keeping you in the safety of my arms, then I will stay with you until you fall asleep, but no longer." Will made sure to emphasize the importance of not staying until morning.

"Yes. It does mean all of those things to me, and you will be here, until I am sleeping." Tessa yawned and lied down, waiting for Will to join her. When he did, she wrapped herself in his arms, earning a smile from Will. "Goodnight." Tessa whispered.

"It's nearly four in the morning." Will pointed out.

"Stop talking." Tessa said, her eyes drifting shut, and she was out like a light.

Will tried his best to lay Tessa back on her pillows, quiet and steadily, trying not to wake her, and climb out of the bed. He saw her hands reaching out to the empty space beside her, looking for something, _someone_, to hold onto. Feeling guilty, Will took one last look at her before quietly creeping out of the room.

* * *

The next morning was quite uneventful. Tessa made her way out of her room, down to breakfast later that the others. Upon seeing the dark bags of lack of sleep under her eyes, Will felt bad for abandoning her, but still knew he couldn't have stayed with her. They were being told about a piece of property that was previously owned by the Shade family and the whereabouts of it. Being rather close, it was decided that Jem, Will and Tessa would leave for it soon after breakfast was finished.

They were quick to finish up and get themselves ready. Tessa was walking down to the doors, seeing Will and Jem were already there waiting for her. They loaded onto the carriage and were off just as quickly. For the first half of the ride, it was silent. But, later on, Will noticed that Jem seemed to be periodically looking out of the window in the carriage, he looked uneasy about something. "Are you alright?" Will asked his _parabatai_, a tone of worry lacing his voice. Jem nodded, but Will didn't believe him. He looked out of the windows, seeing nothing. But, he did a few more times along the way, catching a glimpse at something, it had no face, and appeared to be following them. "Jem, what is that?" Will asked, though he already had an idea. Tessa grew worried, seeing as the boys, already were.

"What is it? What's out there?" Tessa asked, her eyes darting between the boys.

"Splendid, now you have gotten Tessa worried." Will said, rolling his eyes, crossing his arms as he sunk back in his seat next to Jem.

"Jem, what is out there? What's wrong?" Tessa asked, definite concern in her voice.

* * *

**A/N. Well, the results are in and Cecily is going to be in this story. As of next chapter, you will defiantly hear mention of her. Several things will be different from the original story line, but I have great plans to make this all work out... I do feel like I am getting in a little over my head with all of this though. I have so much going on and haven't been having good days. I just have so much in my head right now... I feel like I've gone a bit mad with how much I intend on writing... **

**Unrelated to my madness, there is a slight chance that the next chapter might be up a bit later than usual, I have an event next Friday and will be away for most of the day, I haven't gotten my schedule for it yet, but I'm not sure if I will have a chance to update... I hope I do, but if I don't, I apologize in advance.**

**Feel free to PM me for any ideas/things you want to see happen (I will take them into consideration... as long as they're reasonable requests), or drop me a review, tell me how I did?**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N. Wow, 15 chapters. Today, is also special, because three months ago today, September the fifth, I published this story. And since then. I have had 4500+ reads, 32 reviews, 15 follows and 7 favorites. I feel so accomplished in life... Well, I really hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

* * *

"Splendid, now you have gotten Tessa worried." Will said, rolling his eyes, crossing his arms as he sunk back in his seat next to Jem.

"Jem, what is out there? What's wrong?" Tessa asked, definite concern in her voice. Jem bit his lip. looking out one more time before letting out an exasperated sigh.

"I _think_ it's an automaton." Jem said, immediately regretting saying it as he saw Tessa pale noticeably. "I'm not sure, I just said 'I _think_'." Jem added. Will exhaled loudly, shaking his head at Jem.

"No, it is. You know it." he encouraged Jem to spill the truth.

"Well, isn't anybody going to go out and kill it?" Tessa demanded, feeling unsafe. "What if it comes for us?"

"It's already coming for us! It's been following us for about half of this trip!" Jem exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air, narrowly missing Will's head. Tessa looked mildly terrified as Jem was quick to try and comfort her. "I'm sorry Tessa. I really am. I didn't mean to frighten you." Jem grabbed her hand, rubbing small circles on it with his thumb.

"What are we going to do?" Tessa's voice was low, trying to keep it from breaking. Will looked at her sympathetically, wishing he could hold her close and tell her everything would be alright, but he couldn't, because Jem was there, and he wasn't sure that it _would_ all be okay.

"I'm going to destroy it." Will stated, Jem looked at him as if he had gone mad and Tessa looked at him like he had two heads.

"Alone? No, you aren't. Take me with you, and Jem. Or _at least_ one of us." Tessa pleaded. Will let out a sigh, shaking his head.

"Well, I'm not going out there and bringing you, Tessa. I am not going to let you go out and risk your life. And Jem," Will turned to his _parabatai_, "I doubt you thought we'd have a battle ahead of us, and you probably didn't take enough." Will shrugged as if to say '_what can you do'?_. Jem looked at Will, who was always ready to throw his life away if he had a chance, and shook his head.

"I actually _did_ take enough _yin fen_ and I will be coming with you." Jem stated before his gaze went to Tessa. "You, however, will be staying here. You will be kept safe in here and under no circumstances shall you follow us until we say so." Jem made sure his instruction was clear before he got their coachman to stop, allowing the boys to get out. Jem had just hopped out and Will was about to leave before Tessa stopped him, her hand grabbing his.

"Be careful Will. Please don't do anything unnecessary." she told him, Will leaned in and gave her a quick kiss before hopping out and following after Jem, who was already several metres ahead of himself.

* * *

"How do you suppose we deal with that thing?" Jem asked, glancing back at Will, who was now catching up to himself.

"Like we always do. By _killing_ it." Will stated. Jem rolled his eyes at him.

"Always the one for the smart comments," Jem whispered under his breath. Will took off with a sprint towards the clockwork monster. but the automaton did nothing as Will, sword in hand, ran towards it. All it did was stand there, still as stone, and _spoke_. _*"I... am... a warning... from the Magister"_ Its metallic voice said.

_Oh like that matters,_ Will thought, before putting his blade through it's chest and repeatedly stabbing it, until it crumpled to the ground.

Jem came up behind him, startling Will slightly. "That was fast." he remarked.

"Yes, it was. Now let's get back." Will said, walking back rather quickly to the carriage. "There's no wreckage to investigate. Let's go." he threw over his shoulder to Jem, who was inspecting the shredded remains of the automaton.

* * *

Tessa was surprised at how quickly they got back. "That didn't take long. Did you destroy it? Is it gone?" Tessa asked upon their re-entry to the carriage. Will was panting, and Jem looked, and definitely was, out of breath.

"It's gone. We destroyed it." Will said, catching his breath. Tessa smiled at Will as he climbed back into the carriage.

"My hero." She pressed a quick kiss to his lips, knowing Jem was still outside, unable to see them. But, their reunion was cut short by a strangled coughing. _Jem_. Will threw the door to the carriage back open, and he saw Jem, who was on his hands and knees, coughing up blood. He ran over to Jem, kneeling beside him, Will's hand on his shoulder. Tessa came out soon after Will. She wasn't ready for what she saw. Coming closer, she could hear Will muttering things to Jem.

"You told me you took enough. James, this doesn't just happen. What's going on?" Will frantically questioned. Jem was shaking his head at Will, but not giving him any answer. Tessa came even closer, and could see that Jem was trying to talk, very quietly, to Will.

She couldn't hear all that he said, but what she caught was; _"...get her out of here... don't want... me like this..."_ Jem's voice was weak, weaker than usual. She knew something was wrong. Will nodded at Jem, patting his back twice and stood up, something like this was exactly what he had predicted would happen.

"Tessa, get back in the carriage. Please, keep yourself safe." Will had a wild look in his eyes, one of worry, and concern. Tessa nodded and went back in. She tried to figure out what Jem had said, what he meant, and decided it was probably not important. She occasionally glanced out, but couldn't see much.

They returned soon, Jem looked fine, a bit more pale than usual, but that was to be expected after what had just happened. They silently took their seats, Jem alone on one side, and Will next to Tessa. She wanted to ask if Jem was alright, but felt as if that would be a rather foolish thing to ask, when in fact, he was not alright. Being her paranoid self, Tessa glanced out of the window periodically, but there was never anything there. Will too, looked out several times, but not nearly as much as Tessa. He looked out one more time before saying, "I think we're here." He knocked on the roof of the carriage, and they stopped. Jem was the first to step out, who held out a hand for Tessa, but Will, being the who he was, took Jem's hand and hopped out. Tessa came out after them both.

"It's down there? I think there's a carriage coming in." Tessa pointed-out. Will and Jem looked to where she was looking, Jem and Tessa kneelt down, waiting for someone to exit, or enter, the carriage. Will stepped forwards more, waiting. It stopped, and the door was opened. A young girl, no older than fifteen, stepped out. Looking at her, Tessa thought she looked familiar. She had long black hair, which was tied back in a braid. From the distance they were at, they couldn't make out much. Tessa turned to see Will, who was a bit closer to the manor house than her and Jem. She went up beside him and looked at him. He was staring at the girl, when she got close enough, she heard him speaking.

_"Cecily..."_ he said, quietly. Cecily, a name Tessa had heard him say before, in the attic, several weeks ago. Will continued to stare after her, she was still standing near the carriage, and looked as if he had just seen a ghost. Tessa put an arm on his shoulder, and he fell to his knees. "_Cecily..._" he repeated the name at intervals. Jem came up behind them and kneelt down next to Will. Upon seeing Jem, Will stood up as quick as lightening and began to run down the hill towards the manor house.

"Will!" Jem exclaimed running after him. Tessa too, ran after them. "Will, stop." Jem jumped at him, nearly catching him, but falling to the ground.

"Cecily." Will said, louder than speaking, but slightly quieter than a shout. The young girl looked up, but Tessa didn't notice Will's sudden stop as she collided with him, effectively knocking them both to the ground. The young girl, presumably Cecily, was looking around, searching for the owner of the voice who had called her name.

* * *

**A/N. That was intense... More or less... I loved writing this chapter, it was fun. **

**That was like, the shortest 'Authors Note' I've ever written... I feel like I ripped you off or something... I need to add more... How about a little info on the next chapter? Well, I can say, the next chapter will definitely have more drama and conflict and feels and suspense and all that fun stuff... prepare yourselves... ****My mood just took me over and I just went on a binge writing spree and finished the next chapter, maybe I'll put it up early... If I get five reviews for this chapter... Yeah, I've become one of _those_ authors, I will still update regularly with this story, extra chapters, come at an extra price. And, sadly, I won't be putting up extra chapters all the time, sorry.**

***Clockwork Prince; page 129**

**Feel free to PM me for any ideas/things you want to see happen (I will take them into consideration... as long as they're reasonable requests), or drop me a review, tell me how I did?**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N. Boom! Bonus chapter! I hope you guys like this one! _Annoying, excessive exclamation points!_**

* * *

"Will!" Jem exclaimed running after him. Tessa too, ran after them. "Will, stop." Jem jumped at him, nearly catching him, but falling to the ground.

"Cecily." Will said, louder than speaking, but slightly quieter than a shout. The young girl looked up, but Tessa didn't notice Will's sudden stop as she collided with him, effectively knocking them both to the ground. The young girl, presumably Cecily, was looking around, searching for the owner of the voice who had called her name. Since they had all fallen to the ground at one point or another, nobody was seen. Will stood up, about to call for her again, but Jem caught up behind him, clamping a hand over his mouth.

"What is wrong with you?" Jem exclaimed, not taking his hand away as Will tried to call out to Cecily again. "Stop! You're going to draw attention to us. What's you problem?" Jem demanded, Will said something, muffled by the hand over his mouth. "Promise me that you will not call out, and I will let you speak." Jem said sternly. Will nodded, Jem took away his hand.

"I have nothing to say. You would not understand." Will shook his head. Jem sighed, and stepped back from Will. Tessa had materialized beside him and was still watching Cecily, who was near the door to the manor house, but lingering outside.

"Who is that? Do you know her?" Tessa asked, trying to get a clearer look at the girl. Will tensed slightly and nodded.

"I do." Will replied. Tessa looked to him, expecting more, but he looked away. "I do, and I will leave it at that." Will started walking away.

"She looks like you, you know. Don't play clueless with me. Who is she?" Tessa asked. Will wasn't turning around.

"She was nine. _She was nine._" Will whispered, regretfully. Jem was standing apart from the two, and seemed oblivious to anything Will and Tessa had said.

"Will, what are you talking about?" Tessa approached him, steadily, like she was afraid he might run off.

"Cecily. She was nine, when I..." he trialed off, looking down at the young girl. "When I _left._" He looked to the ground, sinking to his knees. Tessa stood beside him, glancing back at Jem who... wasn't there... She turned around, looking everywhere, but Jem was nowhere to be seen. Tessa looked down at Will, who seemed to be fighting with his inner turmoil, then back to where Jem wasn't. She put a hand on his shoulder, he turned to look at her, a look of conflict and worry on his face. But when Will saw her face, it was his expression mirrored. "What's wrong Tess?" he asked, grabbing her face in his hands. She pulled back, a serious expression coming back onto her face.

"Jem's gone." she said, panicked. Will furrowed his brows looking confused.

"What do you mean, gone?" he asked.

"Look around you," Tessa gestured to the fields around her, Will scanned the area. "Jem's _gone. _He's nowhere to be seen." Tessa repeated. Will jumped to his feet, knocking Tessa back. He held out a hand to help her up, and she accepted as he helped her to her feet. "Where should we check? It couldn't have been too long, where do you think he went off to?" Tessa asked, frantically looking around. Will put his hands on her shoulders, locking eyes with her.

"Tess, calm down. Let's try and think rationally." Tessa nodded, taking a deep breath. Will offered a half smile and dropped his hands. "Alright, so maybe he went back to the carriage?" Will suggested. Tessa nodded.

"It would be a good start." Tessa said, as they began to walk towards the carriage. It looked abandoned. It was odd. Even their coachman had disappeared. "Jem! Jem, are you out here?" Tessa called. There was no answer, the two called out for awhile, wandering aimlessly around the area.

"Maybe he went back to where we killed that automaton?" Will wandered aloud. Tessa shrugged.

"It wouldn't hurt to check, would it?" She looked around, Will had already began walking, and was barely in her line of sight. "Will! Slow down, wait!" she called. Will turned around, and called back to her.

"No, you stay here. In case he comes back, or if there are more there, I don't want you to get hurt. Stay in the carriage, or just outside if you must!" Will continued walking towards where he and Jem had been earlier. Tessa sighed, bothered by how Will was always implying that everything was too dangerous for her. She climbed back into the carriage, until Will was no longer visible.

* * *

Will ran, as fast as he could, to where he and Jem had previously been. When he got there, he saw movement, then a shape in the distance. It was a completely human shape, it was clearly Jem. But, there was another nearby him. Will apprehensively approached the pair and noticed that one of them for sure was Jem. But as he got closer, the other had disappeared. "Jem!" Will called out. Jem turned to Will, a frown on his face.

"How did you find me?" he asked, looking to the ground.

"Why did you run off? You had Tessa and I terribly frightened." Will stated, walking closer to Jem.

"I saw another automaton. I went after it." Jem shrugged. Will looked taken aback by Jem's reckless behaviour. It was so un-Jem-like to do something so foolish.

"Jem, why? You nearly passed out earlier, why risk it again?" Will asked, dumbfounded. Jem sighed.

"I wanted to see what information it had. When I caught up to it -just now- it saw you and said it would return." Jem said, just as surprised by the automaton's behaviour as Will. "Shall we go after it?" Jem suggested. Will nodded. The two walked after where it had gone, then once they spotted it, Will broke into a run. When the two finally caught up to it, it turned and _'spoke'._

_*"I... am... a warning... from the Magister"_ It began. Will was about to destroy this one too, but Jem looked to him, shaking his head.

"About what? To who?" Jem questioned it, after catching up to Will.

_"A warning to... Will Herondale... And all Nephilim... Cease your investigations... the past is the past... Leave Mortmain's or your family... will pay..."_ And then became silent. Will had a terrified look on his face, '_your family'._ Jem looked to Will, seeing his distressed expression, worried him. Will was never distressed about anything.

"Shall we get back to Tessa?" Jem suggested, trying to get Will to move... or breathe... or do anything. Jem's attempts were cut short by a scream. _Tessa,_ Will thought. he took off, again, but this time, faster.

Will raced back, he knew that was Tessa's scream. Running as fast as his legs could carry him. He got back and saw the carriage. And there it was, a metal monstrosity, clawing at the door, and inside, Tessa was screaming. Will jumped at the creature, burying his blade into it's back, dragging it down. The automaton just turned around, and slashed at Will with it's sharp claw-like fingers. It cut his shoulder, but it was _just a scratch_, Will told himself as he kept trying to stab at the creature. In a last-ditch effort, he tried to take a back swing at the beast, but instead, the creature took a stab at Will. Everything from there felt like it happened in slow motion. Will heard Tessa screaming even more hysterically, and saw her trying to open the carriage door, jump out, run over to himself and from the corner of his eyes, he could see Jem running, seraph blade, that he never remembered them bringing, blazing bright.

Tessa dropped to her knees next to Will, who had fallen to the ground, and was cradling his head in her lap, pressing a handkerchief to his bleeding shoulder. But, this was no wound that could be fixed with a few _iratzes_, it was far worse. He was losing blood, a lot of blood, very fast. Tessa knew there was nothing that she could do, she had never felt so helpless in her life. Will looked up at her, his blue eyes blazing, no fight gone from them. _"Tess..." _he said weakly, his eyes closing, and head sinking back.

"I'm right here Will, I'm right here." Tessa said, pushing his hair away from his forehead. Will smiled, though he was barley conscious, one of his hands -the one _not_ attached to his wounded shoulder- reached for hers. Tessa grabbed it, holding it tightly, wishing she could send him energy to help him, even though she couldn't. Will's head was on her lap, looking to the side, down the hill; he opened his eyes, and they went wide. He tried to sit up, but was back down from the searing pain in his shoulder. Tessa looked, and saw a girl, the same girl from before, walking up the hill towards them.

"_Cecily._" he muttered. "Tess, get her out of here." Will said, his eyes panicked and voice weak, but his message strong.

* * *

**A/N. Well, Will just had to be... Will... And, finally, you will see more Cecily. Even though I said she will be in this, she won't really be in right away, expect more of her in later chapters, not too much quite yet. I don't want to rush her into the story... Hopefully this chapter lived up to any expectations, if there were any. Still a short A/N, but this is definitely way better than my horrible, full-on, annoying, long, ramble-y ones. And, it just became one of those annoying ramble-y ones... I'll shut up now.**

**Feel free to PM me for any ideas/things you want to see happen (I will take them into consideration... as long as they're reasonable requests), or drop me a review, tell me how I did?**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N. Well, I hope those three days killed you inside... I mean, I hope you liked the last chapter, hopefully you like this one too! Without further ado, I present thee, chapter 17. Ooh, that's my lucky number... Maybe this chapter will be extra awesome... Or, you know, just as good as the rest. But, better is always... _better..._**

* * *

"I'm right here Will, I'm right here." Tessa said, pushing his hair away from his forehead. Will smiled, though he was barley conscious, one of his hands -the one _not_ attached to his wounded shoulder- reached for hers. Tessa grabbed it, holding it tightly, wishing she could send him energy to help him, even though she couldn't. Will's head was on her lap, looking to the side, down the hill; he opened his eyes, and they went wide. He tried to sit up, but was back down from the searing pain in his shoulder. Tessa looked, and saw a girl, the same girl from before, starting up the hill towards them.

"_Cecily._" he muttered. "Tess, get her out of here." Will said, his eyes panicked and voice weak, but his message strong. Tessa hesitated, looking into his eyes.

"Only if you promise that if I leave you here, you will not do anything stupid. No getting up and fighting, none of that. Promise me, you'll keep yourself safe." Tessa made sure her voice was crystal clear.

"I swear on the angel that I will stay safe." Will said, offering her a smile. Tessa nodded, gently laying his head on the ground, only to see him trying to sit up. she rolled her eyes at him. "I need to see what's going on." Will said, holding the handkerchief to his shoulder. He watched Tessa run down to Cecily, saw the panicked look on their faces, and then everything began to go dark.

* * *

When Tessa left Will, she knew, it was not a good thing to leave him, but she did what he wanted and went after the Cecily. When Tessa came up to the young girl, Tessa couldn't help but see a striking resemblance to Will. Her blue eyes were the same shade, and her black hair was also a trait that Tessa familiarized with Will. "Excuse me, but do you know what is going on? I heard a scream and came to see what had gone wrong." Cecily asked, tilting her head at Tessa. Tessa could detect a different accent in her voice, something she also heard very faintly in Will's voice occasionally.

"Oh, it's all under control now. You should just go back to where you came here from. All is well, thank you for your concern." Tessa said coolly. But Cecily could tell, all was not right. She looked further up the hill, and saw a familiar face. One that she hadn't seen in over five years.

"_Gwilym._" Her eyes went wide as she began to run faster up the hill to him. Tessa bolted after her, afraid to see how Cecily would react to the scene that Tessa had abandoned.

"Cecily, stop!" Tessa cried, hoping to stop her from seeing the horror that was hidden near the top of the hill. Cecily stopped, turning to see Tessa.

"How do you know my name?" she asked, looking startled.

"I... a friend of mine... He knows you." Tessa stuttered.

"You know Will?" Cecily looked at her cocking her head to the side.

Just as Tessa opened her mouth to speak, she heard a voice, Jem, call. "Tessa! Look out!" When Tessa turned to look, she saw the automaton, now a dead, lifeless, limp clump of metal and flesh rolling down the hill towards her. She hopped out of the way, and started back up the hill. Cecily followed close behind her, though Tessa told her numerous times to stop, or to go home, or to leave.

She turned one last time, grabbing her by the shoulders and looking dead into her eyes. "Cecily, I am giving you one last chance to go. What you see may or may not be frightening. Please, I wish you to go back." Tessa pleaded. Cecily simply shook her head and continued up the hill. Tessa thought, rolling her eyes and continuing after her. The two reached the top of the hill, seeing Will laying unconscious, blood seeping everywhere and Jem kneeling beside his _parabatai_, pulling Will's shirt and jacket away to get a closer look at the wound. Tessa turned to the Cecily, who -as expected- had a panicky look on her face; her hands were over her mouth and her everything about her read shock, fear and panic.

"Tessa, get over here. Help my get him into the carriage, we need to get him back." Jem said, glancing up at Tessa. He did a double take, noticing the short black haired girl with blue eyes the same as his _parabatai._ "Excuse me, but, whom are you?" Jem asked, momentarily taking his attention away from Will.

"Who are _you?_" she returned.

"James Carstairs, now answer me, _who are you?"_ Jem repeated. The girl sighed, and shrugged as if to say _what've I got to lose?_

"Cecily Herondale." she replied. _Herondale... that explains so much..._ Tessa thought, thinking about Cecily's previous behaviour. "Now, tell me what happened to my brother, and maybe I can help you." she came over, kneeling next to her brother, who was beginning to stir again. Jem seemed to hesitate, not wanting to really say too much, and Tessa herself wasn't really sure what to say. Cecily looked at the people around her, realizing she wasn't going to get an answer to _that_ question, so she tried another. "What happened to Will?" She looked down at him, a worried look on her face.

"From what I can see, I think when he was stabbed-"

"He was stabbed?" Cecily shrieked. Jem and Tessa nodded.

"Yes, now let me finish. When he was stabbed, the blade shattered his part shoulder blade, or it seems, and the bleeding is slowing, but not by much. I do not think it would be wise to just use a blood replacement rune right now, as it would just run out." Jem looked at the girls, who looked desperate to help. "I could try I guess..." Jem trailed off, reaching for his stele. Jem began to draw near Will's stab-wound, Tessa and Cecily stared in amazement as his the stele glowed and the rune sunk into his skin. Once Jem was done, all that the rune did was increase the blood flow.

"What are we going to do?" Tessa's breath was shortening, she was feeling dizzy, blood truly wasn't her worst enemy, it was the sight of seeing the boy she loved, looking so helpless and weak that made her feel how she did.

"Help me get him into the carriage. We need to take him back to the Institute." Jem tried to think of a way to lift Will without jostling his shoulder too much. Cecily stood back and shook her head.

"You need to get him to a hospital, they can help him there." She looked down at her brother, and back to the others, who were looking at her like she were mad.

"A mundane hospital cannot help him." Jem said, as he and Tessa did their best to get him up. Half way through them getting Will to sit up, he started to wake up.

_"Cecily..._" he mumbled, like he had earlier.

"I'm here, _Gwilym._" Cecily said back, sitting next to him. At Cecily's voice, Will's eyes shot open. He looked at her, and nearly thought he was dreaming still.

"Cecily,_ fy chwaer fach..._ What are you doing here?" He asked, looking to his little sister, whom had grown so much since he last saw her.

"I came to see what was happening, I thought I saw you. And it was you. _R__oedd yn wirioneddol ydych."_ Cecily said, wrapping her arms around her brother, who let out a small cry of pain as she did. "Sorry." Cecily pulled back, seeing the grimace on Will's face. He shook his head at her.

"You can't be here. Cecy, go home. Go back to mam and dad, they are going to be worried about you." Will said, wincing as he tried to move to stand up.

"No. No, I'm not going home. Not unless you come with me." Cecily urged.

"Excuse me, but, young miss Herondale, I am not sure if you noticed or not, but Will is bleeding out, and might lose consciousness again if we do not treat his wounds right. He cannot and will not go with you." Jem interrupted, helping Will to his feet.

"Come back with me. We can take care of him." Cecily urged, as Jem and Tessa lead Will over to the carriage, opening the doors.

"Cecy, no. I can't. I am not supposed to be in contact with you or them. I cannot see them. And you, you never saw _me._" Will looked at his sister, a feeling of longing, a feeling of something missing being returned. He pushed the feeling down, looking away.

* * *

**A/N. Awww, Cecily's just so lost right now... As is Will... _le __sigh,_ Herondales... So, I just want to say thank you to everyone who's been reading this story... I love you guys and even though you may not know it, but just coming and seeing another person reviewed, favorite, or followed this, makes me feel awesome... I could go on forever, but I will stop here before it gets too ramble-y, like it usually does...**

**Also, please excuse my Welsh if anything is wrong... I only know so much, and hope my translations were right... When you put one language to one side of your mind, to work on another one, you tend to forget things... (All the translations, for all the Welsh and any other languages, will always be in the A/N in the future.)**

**"Cecily,_ fy chwaer fach..._" - "Cecily, my little sister..."**

** "_R__oedd yn wirioneddol ydych." - _"It was really you."**

**Feel free to PM me for any ideas/things you want to see happen (I will take them into consideration... as long as they're reasonable requests), or drop me a review, tell me how I did?**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N.**

***Trigger Warning *Self-harm, blood warning.**

** Okay, so the problems resurface and stuff happens. I just, I felt like I was down-playing the problems too much. I know that some people don't really fancy this kind of stuff, but it's what I write to help _myself_ and maybe even others. So, without further ramble-y rambling, here is chapter 18.**

**Welsh translations will be in bottom A/N... They can be pretty self-explanatory if you read the next line or two that come after though...**

* * *

"Come back with me. We can take care of him." Cecily urged, as Jem and Tessa lead Will over to the carriage, opening the doors.

"Cecy, no. I can't. I am not supposed to be in contact with you or them. I cannot see them. And you, you never saw _me._" Will looked at his sister, a feeling of longing, a feeling of something missing being returned. He pushed the feeling down, looking away. "_Cecily, mynd adref._" Will said, about lose consciousness again.

"It hasn't been _home_ since you left!" Cecily cried, looking on the verge of tears. Will took one last glance at her, before climbing into the carriage, using all of his self-control to stay inside and ignore her. Tessa was quick to climb in and sit next to Will, who still looked on the edge on losing consciousness.

"Will, are you feeling any better?" Tessa asked, one hand on his cheek, and the other in his. Will shrugged, then winced in pain, moving his shoulder was not the best idea right now.

"Not much. Where's Jem?" Will leaned forwards, seeing Jem talking to Cecily... who had tears running down her face. It took all that Will was not to go out to his little sister and tell her everything was alright, even if it wasn't. Will knew, she was tough, and when she cried, she had to be really upset about something.

"I thought you said your sister was dead..." Tessa said, out of nowhere. Will looked to her and leaned back into his seat.

"She is." Will confirmed. Tessa looked at him confused, then realized he clearly had more than _one_ sister.

"She was really worried about you, you know." Tessa said. Will shut his eyes and nodded. "She misses you. So much, Will. When she saw you, her face lit up and then fell at the sight of what had happened to you." Tessa said.

"Are you trying to make me feel bad? Stop talking." Will snapped. Tessa was taken aback by his behaviour, and sat opposite to him.

"No. I was just..." she trailed off.

"Trying to help? Well it is not." Will barked. Before Tessa could say anything more, Jem popped his head inside and said,

"Cecily is going home, safe. I still have no idea what happened to our driver... Hopefully we find him on our way back. I'll take it from here." He shut the doors and went to the front, and they began moving.

Will let out a sigh, trying to stay awake, there was minor fear of not waking if he fell unconscious again. He knew that if he fell asleep, he would dream, and that wasn't needed now. "Will?" a small voice said.

"What?" he said back, sharply. Tessa sighed.

"Are you still angry with me?" she asked, feeling small. Will let out a sigh and opened his eyes, looking to her.

"No. I never was, not at you. It's hard to see Cecily anymore. I... She was nine years old when I left her. It was one of the hardest things I did." Will said, biting his lip and looking away.

"Why did you leave then? If it tore you apart, why did you leave her?" Tessa asked. Will shut his eyes again, hoping she would think he hadn't heard her, or maybe think he wasn't listening. The carriage came to an abrupt stop, sending Tessa flying into Will... again... He let out a small cry of pain, but silenced himself as he saw Jem reappear, opening the door.

"I found our driver." Jem's face was a mix of apologetic and confused, seeing Will holding Tessa, who was on the floor.

"All the ladies just love to throw themselves at me." Will remarked. Jem rolled his eyes and Tessa followed him out of the carriage.

"Will, stay here. Please." Tessa threw over her shoulder as she followed Jem. Will rolled his eyes, sinking back into his seat.

* * *

"He's over there." Jem pointed over to a tree nearby, and there was their coachman, lounging against the tree. Tessa marched up to him, and saw he was completely fine and sat, gazing at the sky. Jem followed up behind Tessa and the pair looked down on the man.

"Why did you leave?" Tessa asked. The man shrugged and stood up. "We didn't know where you went. But, all is well, take us back." she commanded. He nodded and they walked back to the carriage, about ten meters behind them. When they climbed back inside, Tessa sat next to Will, and Jem opposite to them.

"Where was he?" Will asked, his eyes still shut.

"He was sitting beneath a tree, watching the clouds go by." Tessa replied with a sigh.

"Of course he was" Will muttered under his breath. The carriage started moving, and this time, no one flew into anyone.

Will's skin was pale, his blood had soaked through his entire coat sleeve and shirt, he really was in bad shape. Tessa, being as worried as she was, looked to Jem and asked, "I don't understand why you can't just use an _iratze_. Wouldn't it stop the bleeding and heal?" Jem shook his head.

"No. I could, and yes, the bleeding would stop, and it would heal over, but that's the problem. When the blade went in, part of it seems to have came out and imbedding itself in his shoulder, along with shattering part of it. His shoulder blade, that is." Jem clarified. Tessa sighed and Will smiled at her.

He leaned in, whispering to her. "You're so adorable when you get worried, _fy cariad_." Tessa felt a small bit of blush creep up on her cheeks, -even though she didn't know the last part of what he said meant- and hid it, hopefully, before Jem noticed.

"What are we supposed to do when we get back?" Tessa inquired.

"Will and I will take care of his shoulder, you can do whatever." Jem replied. Tessa nodded, looking back and forth between the two boys, before resting her eyes on her hands, which had blood on them, _Will's_ _blood_.

"Maybe you can clean yourself up, and by then come and see me?" Will suggested quietly to Tessa. She nodded back at him, then checked outside, seeing the institute near, but seeming so far away.

Once they finally arrived, Jem hopped out and, with Tessa's help, guided a half conscious Will out of the carriage and up the step, then inside to the infirmary. Will sat down on one of the few beds in the small infirmary, looking barley awake. "I will be back soon, please take care." Tessa said, before walking out.

Once she got far enough away from them, it was then, that she allowed herself to break down. She had tears streaming down her face, as she tried to find her way back to her room. Instead, she ended up in the weapons room. She grabbed a dagger, sharper than the glare of the sun, and no longer than her forearm, and clutched it tightly. She looked around, tears blurring her vision, and ran out, continuing her way to find her room. Finally, she found it after what felt like a thousand wrong turns. She threw herself onto her bed, burying her face in a pillow and screaming into it.

She pressed her eyes shut as tightly as she could and took a deep breath; then released it and opened her eyes, rolling onto her back. She looked up at the ceiling trying to calm her ragged breathing. When she finally did, she sat up, pulling her skirts up, revealing her still scarred thighs. _"I did this. I let this happen. I deserve nothing."_ she told herself, grabbing the dagger from where she dropped it.

_"I deserve this." _ She put the tip of the blade to her skin, dragging it slowly across her thigh, watching the blood slowly come to the surface, seeing it start to run. _I let everything that went wrong happen. I sat by as the man I love get attacked, and now, because of me, he is seriously hurt. And there is nothing I can do,_ she thought, pulling the blade back, then dragging it across her leg again. She felt a weird feelings when she hurt herself in the ways that she did. She felt on the outside, the same way inside. _Scarred and broken._

* * *

Jem rushed around then infirmary, knowing Will was barley staring awake was concerning. "Jem you seem more unnerved by this than I am. Calm down." Will whispered, looking at Jem with half-lidded eyes.

"No. I will not. I hate seeing the one person who never gets hurt, _get hurt_. I really does make you realize how things can go wrong." Jem snapped. Will nodded weakly and sighed, awaiting for the silent brothers, who had been summoned once they reached the institute. Will knew things would be fine, but Jem wasn't so sure.

* * *

**A/N. Okay, well Will loves danger, Tessa found another sharp object and Jem is... Jem. Yeah, that's a pretty good summary. Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter, and bringing up Tessa's _problem_, I know I kinda cut it off, and had nearly no mention of it since about... 10 chapters ago? That being said, I never meant for it to seem like it was completely resolved. It is a problem that will be present for most of this story. But I will take some breaks from it, clearly. **

**Also, I get that this part (the York trip) is about halfway through Clockwork Prince, but don't worry. This story will definitely have a lot more aspects of what happens. So, fret not, I still have much planned.**

**-The Translations-**

****_"Cecily,__ mynd adref_." - "Cecily, go home."****

****"... _fy cariad_." - "... my love."****

**Feel free to PM me for any ideas/things you want to see happen (I will take them into consideration... as long as they're reasonable requests), or drop me a review, tell me how I did?**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N.**

***Trigger Warning *Self-harm... but I think you kinda saw that coming.**

**So, anyways, here's chapter 19! I hope everyone likes this one... blah, that sounded way too cliché... I hope this chapter fits you Infernal Devices fanfictional, emotional-ish needs!**

* * *

Jem rushed around then infirmary, knowing Will was barley staring awake was concerning. "Jem you seem more unnerved by this than I am. Calm down." Will whispered, looking at Jem with half-lidded eyes.

"No. I will not. I hate seeing the one person who never gets hurt, _get hurt_. I really does make you realize how things can go wrong." Jem snapped. Will nodded weakly and sighed, awaiting for the silent brothers, who had been summoned once they reached the institute. Will knew things would be fine, but Jem wasn't so sure. "I'm going to go find Tessa. I will be back." Jem said with one last glance at Will before walking out of the room, brushing by the recently arrived silent brothers.

* * *

Tessa sat in her room, the knife had been dragged across her skin more than five times, she had tearstains down her face, but yet she felt completely in control. She felt calm. Her head snapped up when she heard foot steps coming down the hallway. Panicking, she tucked the dagger under her pillow and threw herself under her blankets, pulling them up to her chin. There was a light knocking on the door, followed by Jem's steady and calm voice. "Tessa? Tessa can I come in?" Tessa pulled the blankets over her head and stayed where she was. "Are you in here?" Jem asked again. The door silently creaked open and a strip of light came through. Tessa pulled the blankets away from her face and looked at Jem.

"I was sleeping you know." Tessa stated, yawning and blinking a few times for good measure.

"I apologize for waking you." Jem said, lingering in the door way. "Can I come in?" he asked awkwardly. Tessa sighed dramatically and nodded. He stepped inside, leaving the door partly open behind him.

"What is it you need?" Tessa asked, sitting up, careful to keep the dagger out of sight.

"Will is being treated, I thought you might want to know that he's alright." Jem said, Tessa nodded. "And, I just wanted to make sure _you_ were alright. You haven't been yourself lately and I just wanted to be sure you were well." he added. Tessa tried a smile, but it was hard to make it seem sincere.

"I'm fine, thank you for your concern." Tessa said, in hopes that her answer would fulfill Jem's needs and he would leave. Jem sighed, walking over and sitting on the edge on the bed.

"Tessa, you aren't. A week ago, you were all over the place, recently you have been fine, and today you were back to being all over the place. Why?" Jem asked, sounding very concerned, yet calm.

"I just... I... I haven't been getting enough sleep, and I did recently." Tessa hesitated. Jem let out a sigh, knowing there was more to her story, but he wasn't going to pressure her. Instead, he stood up and looked at her one more time.

"If you ever need anything, or want to talk to anyone, I will always be available." he said, then left, shutting the door on his way out. Tessa remained sitting, until she was sure he was nowhere around, before standing up, the fresh cuts stinging as they rubbed against her skirts. It was a pain she had grown used to, it was a pain she couldn't live without.

* * *

Once the silent brothers had finished treating Will, Jem had been right, a piece if the blade had broken off and imbedded itself in his shoulder, and along with that, his shoulder blade had been fractured, but not completely broken. Will felt intense pain in his shoulder, but it was slowly dying down. He was laying on his side, clearly on his uninjured side, staring blankly at the wall. He looked at the patterns of torn wall paper, cracked drywall, and witchlight torches lining the walls. He heard footsteps, not bothering to turn to see. "What do you want?" he asked, blinking slowly as Jem appeared infront of him.

"I just came back from talking to Tessa." Jem said, shrugging.

"Is she coming down?" Will asked, eager to see her, but keeping his expression the same as before.

"She seems rather distraught. I don't think she will be, at least, not for a while." Jem looked away, not wanting to say more, as it was clear Tessa wanted to be alone. Will's face fell slightly at the news, but he kept his concern hidden.

"What was she doing when she got back?" Will asked, looking up at Jem.

"When we got back, she was wandering around, I think I even saw her walk into the weapons room." Jem said, trying to make sense of why she would be there. Will's face paled, but it was hardly noticeable, as he was already fairly pale from the blood loss.

"Why?" Will asked, trying to sound casual, but failing to mask the tone of concern lacing his words. Tessa, in a room full of knives, swords, daggers and other sharp things... Not the best thought.

"I really think it was that she was just lost, I can't see her going in to get a weapon; perhaps she just needed somewhere to be alone for awhile and that was the nearest room?" Jem suggested. Will nodded, trying to believe she was simply lost, which she probably was, but he couldn't help but feel like she came out of the room with something. Will tried sitting up, wincing slightly from jostling himself around, then was fine, and sitting upright.

"When are we to leave?" Will asked, looking to Jem, now at eye level.

"Well, Charlotte was informed of your injury, and is insisting that we wait until you are better to travel. In other words, tomorrow night at the earliest, but even then, we would not be returning until early the next morning." Jem explained.

"No, I will be fine. We leave tomorrow morning." Will claimed, a serious look in his eyes.

Jem's protest was interrupted by the chiming bell of the institute's doorbell. "Who could be visiting old Starkweather?" Will asked, looking to the door way. Jem walked to it, glanced out, then came back to Will's side.

"It cannot be a Shadowhunter, they clearly can open the door on their own; I honestly have no idea." Jem said, shrugging. Will made an attempt to stand up, but stayed down upon realizing Jem was watching him. "I can go see, you stay here. Heal faster, we can leave sooner." Jem scolded with a gentle voice. _Only Jem, _Will thought to himself.

"Well, if I had another _iratze_ I could heal even faster. I think the previous one's worn off." Will said, looking to the stele sitting on the bed across from him. Jem sighed, picking it up, and dropped it on Will's bed. "No. You do it. You know that the runes from your _parabatai_ are always stronger." Will stated as if it were the most obvious thing.

"I know. Maybe I just don't want to." Jem said, shrugging before he walked off. Will wouldn't let him abandon him. He got up, trying his best not to use his bad arm, and caught up with Jem. "I knew you would follow me, I assume you are not going to listen to me if I tell you to stay back." Jem said, not even turning around or stopping, before glancing back, seeing Will a few metres behind him.

"Well, I'm not going back in there. It feels like death in that room." Will shook his head and shuddered.

"Come here." Jem stopped walking and turned to face him. Will seemed taken out of his thoughts, Jem had a very serious look on his face.

"What's wrong?" Will asked, stopping at the side of his _parabatai_.

"You need to take this more seriously." Jem stated bluntly. Will rolled his eyes at Jem.

"You worry too much." Will sighed, shaking his head.

"No, _you_ don't worry _enough_. We can't just run out and take-to doing whatever we want." Jem sighed.

"What are you trying to say? You want me to just sit around while others are in danger?" Will questioned. Jem shook his head.

"No, that is not at all what I'm saying. What I'm trying to say, is while you go out there, putting in 110% effort, trying to get yourself killed, it can really be terrifying. You act like nothing bad will happen, but you need to wake up. This is not your world, there are dangers, and you are not immortal." Jem spoke harshly, an edge in his voice that was rarely ever heard.

"What does it matter? You said it yourself. _I am not immortal;_ I will die one day! We all do! So what, if I'm gone early!" Will exclaimed. Jem looked at Will with an unreadable expression, shaking his head.

"I know a thing or two about dying early. Don't you dare tell me what dying is." Jem shot back, turning away, silver hair shining in the witchlight.

* * *

**A/N. Secrets can only be kept for so long... When the truth comes out, it just might break your heart... That sounded too overly dramatic, even for me... No, nothing is ever too dramatic for me! But, that line, that one I started this A/N with, it will make a lot of sense within the next couple of chapters... Until then, only one thing can describe what happens... _A Curse_. **

**I would like to also apologize if anything at any point in this chapter was confusing, it kinda jumped around a lot from viewpoints and places.**

**Feel free to PM me for any ideas/things you want to see happen (I will take them into consideration... as long as they're reasonable requests), or drop me a review, tell me how I did?**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N. **

***Trigger Warning *Self-harm mention.**

**OMFG, 20 chapters! I just can't even. I went into this, thinking it would be like, 15 chapters or maybe even less. But, now, thanks to all of my amazing reviewers, and even just the people who read this, you have all helped me make this story what it is. Writing this helps me in more ways than imaginable, and having people who _actually_ read this, makes me feel so much better. I adore each and every one of my readers, even if I don't know many of you. I am so grateful to have all of these people who've been with me, helped me in this story and been there to read it. And to all you new comers, no matter when this is, welcome! **

** I really hope you've all been liking this story... Now, that's enough of my rambling! Here it is, chapter 20!**

* * *

"What does it matter? You said it yourself. _I am not immortal_, and I will die one day! We all do! So what, if I'm gone early!" Will exclaimed. Jem looked at Will with an unreadable expression, shaking his head.

"I know a thing or two about dying early. Don't you dare tell me what dying is." Jem shot back, turning away, silver hair shining in the witchlight. Will instantly wished he could take back what he said. _Who am I to tell Jem about dying... It's him, not me, who's already going..._ he thought to himself.

"James, I didn't-"

"_You didn't mean it like that?_ Save it. I have heard enough." Jem cut him off, his voice quiet, yet harsh at the same time. He began walking off, Jem never got mad at Will, not even when he deserved it. Will couldn't help but feel like his world slowly falling apart, bit by bit.

Jem rounded a corner and was no longer in sight. Will punched the wall next to him, sending the impact up his arm to his shoulders. He didn't make a noise, he simply took a deep breath and walked down the opposite hallway. In his wandering, he stumbled upon the weapons room. He walked over to a small shelf of various knives and daggers on little holders, and just as he had feared... _One was missing..._

* * *

Tessa was about to walk out of her room, she felt like she had finally stabilized her emotions enough to not want to break down. Then, the door opened; on it's own, or at least, that's what it seemed. Tessa stepped back and saw Will standing in the door frame. Upon seeing him, she felt ashamed for having broken the promise she made him. She immediately felt tears welling up in her eyes. She tried to turn away from him, try thinking about something else, but couldn't. "Tessa, come here." Will said, holding his arms open for her. She stepped into them, feeling him hold her tightly to his chest, hearing his steady heartbeat, it had a calming feel to it. "I know what you did." he whispered, still keeping his arms around her, but pulling back enough the see her face.

"I am so sorry." She buried her face back into his chest, trying not to touch his injured shoulder.

"No, I am. If I hadn't left you alone, if I came after you..." Will trailed off, shaking his head. "Where is it?" Will asked, pulling away more, letting one arm fall to his side. "Tessa, where did you put the knife?" he asked, his voice serious. Tessa looked up at him, tears glistening in her grey eyes, and shook her head.

"No." she whispered. Will raised his eyebrows at her, expecting a different answer. "I need it." she said, her voice quiet.

"Tessa, you do not. And, in technicality, you are stealing a weapon." Will opined. Tessa stepped back, crossing her arms over her chest.

"How did you find out?" she asked with a pout.

"I just did. I know things." Will claimed. Tessa rolled her eyes at him. "Alright, when Jem came back from seeing you, I asked him what you did when we got back, he said you wandered into the weapons room. I was worried for you..." he trailed off, looking to the floor.

"Worry about yourself. I am completely fine." Tessa said, wiping the dried tears from her face. "I honestly am." she said again, backing up and sitting in the edge of the bed.

"No, Tessa you are not." he proclaimed, approaching her and sitting on the bed next to her. As he did, the knife slipped out from under the pillow and clattered to the floor. Will picked it up, looking carefully at it. "This, this is a whole lot sharper than I would have thought." he stated, looking at Tessa who was staring at the knife, not daring to look into Will's eyes, not daring see the look of disappointment he was most-likely casting her way. "Tess, talk to me, say something." She shook her head and lied back, curling up into a little ball, hoping he would leave her alone if she did. Will, knowing what she was trying to do, stood up and walked over to the door. Tessa wanted him to leave her alone, but at the same time, she didn't want him to leave her _completely_ alone. He stopped in the door way, looking back at her. She closed her eyes and looked away.

_"Don't leave me."_ Tessa whispered, still not opening her eyes. There were soft footsteps, coming back her way, then she felt him sit closer to her; it was then that she willed herself to look up at him, see his violet-blue eyes staring back at her with affection. She felt a smile creep up on her face, just a tiny ghost of one.

Her face fell when she saw the knife, sitting on the bedside table, shining. "Tessa, stop thinking about it." he said, seeing her gaze go to beside him.

"I'm trying, Will. I really am. It's not easy." she said, looking away. Will lied down next to her, looking at the back of her head.

"Tess, talk to me. Stop shutting me out." Will reached around her and grabbed her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. Tessa turned her head back, seeing the desperate look in his eyes, and sighed.

"You talk to _me_ first." she said, rolling over so that they were facing each other. Will look at her, confused.

"What do you want to know?" he asked.

"Why have you waited so long for _this?_ You said before, you have loved me since you met me, but why did you wait? Why have you rejected me so many times? Why do you hide your feelings for everyone?" Tessa asked, biting her lip.

"I... I could never tell you... I still cannot... I am risking it by even loving you now." he hesitated. Tessa squinted her eyes at him, trying to make sense of his words, but failing to do so.

"What do you mean you are _risking loving me_?" she asked, a confused look on her face. Will shook his head, ruffling his hair as he did.

"It's nothing." he dismissed. Tessa moved closer, her face centimetres from his.

"Will, I know that it is more than _nothing._ Just tell me what you mean." Tessa grabbed his hand, running her hand up and down his arm.

"Tessa, it isn't important. Just drop it." he said, moving back.

Tessa's bottom lip quivered and her eyes stung. _"Do you not love me?"_ she whispered, retreating back to herself.

"No, of course not! Tessa where did you get that idea?" Will asked, reaching for her hand, which she pulled away. "Tessa stop pushing me away!" he exclaimed.

"No, you stop pushing _me_ away!" she shot back, turning away.

"Tessa, you just shut me out again..." Will said, trying to lighten up a bit, but instead ended up angering Tessa more.

"You can go now." she said, turning to face him, her voice quiet. Will sat up, winced, but stayed near her.

"I will not." Will said, running a hand across her face, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

"Don't touch me." she snapped, jerking away from his hand, and looking away.

"Can't I?" he asked, his hand going down her arm, grabbing her hand. She pulled her hand away, rolled onto her back and shot him an angry glare.

"No. You cannot. If you insist on staying, I have no reason you cannot, but please, take care of yourself before you bother me." Tessa said, glancing at his shoulder. Will looked down at it, it was covered by his shirt, and a bit of dried blood, but otherwise, it seemed to be fine.

"I'm alright." he assured. Tessa rolled her eyes and turned away from him, drawing her knees to her chest and pulling a blanket over herself. Will moved closer to her and she shuffled closer to the other end of the bed. It was clear that Tessa wasn't happy and wanted to be alone, and this time, Will would let her be. He kissed her temple and got up, stopping at the door, glancing back at her one more time, then opening it and walking out.

He shut the door softly, and began to walk down the halls. He saw Jem, a frantic look in his eyes, coming to Will. "Will, where have you been?" he asked, grabbing Will's wrist, pulling him along with himself.

"I just needed some time to myself. Why? Is something wrong?" Will asked as they rounded a corner.

"You could say that." Jem pulled Will to the drawing room door and stopped. "The door, it was for you." he said, before putting his hand on the knob to open it. Will watched Jem as he opened the door. Never in his life did he expect to see what he saw.

_"Cecily."_

* * *

**A/N. Aww damn... Cecily just had to come after Will... What do you think will happen next?**

**20 chapters, I'm changing the stupid 'review or whatever' thing. It was becoming too repetitive...**

**Reviews are always appreciated, if you have any ideas, anything you want to see, let me know! As long as the idea can fit into this, a T-rated story, Wessa, Clockwork Prince time-set, I'd love to hear them! **


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N. Hey lovelies! So here's chapter 21! Not much to say other than, I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

"You could say that." Jem pulled Will to the drawing room door and stopped. "The door, it was for you." he said, before putting his hand on the knob to open it. Will watched Jem as he opened the door. Never in his life did he expect to see what he saw.

_"Cecily."_ The short girl with black hair and piercing violet-blue eyes looked to the source of her name. She smiled when she saw Will, jumping up from her seat to run over to him. She wrapped her arms around him tears welling up in her eyes.

"It's been too long, _Gwilym._ I missed you, we all did." she said, not letting him go. Will tried to pry his little sister off of him, he can't see her, it's against the rules that he agreed to when he left... unless...

"Cecy, where are mam and dad?" he asked, looking down at her. Cecily finally let go and took a step back. Upon hearing his question, she looked to the ground. "Cecily, _yw mam a dad ddiogel?"_ Will asked. Cecily glanced up at him, and he was not happy.

"They are safe, yes. And they're back home." she said, calmly. Will let out a sigh of relief.

"Good... But you shouldn't be out here. I'm surprised they let you come out here alone Cecy." Will stated. Cecily looked back to the floor again, she crossed her arms over her chest and blew out a stream of air. "Cecily, what did you do?" he asked. Cecily shrugged.

"They don't know I left." Cecily mumbled to herself. "I came after you, they still think I'm in my room... I snuck out." she mumbled again. Will heard her this time, and he was furious.

"Cecily, you did not." Will scolded. Cecily felt small, and it didn't help that Will was a whole head taller than herself. Will ran his hand through his hair, looking back to where Jem was. Jem looked at him with a look of _don't look at me, I didn't do anything._

"I'm sorry." Cecily whispered, glancing up at her brother. It pained Will to be mad with her, but this was no small thing that she had done. "I couldn't stand being there. I still love them, of course, but ever since you left after you-know-what happened, I could never get a breath of air. They were never the same!"

"So you think that making them lose their last child would be a good idea?" Will exclaimed. Cecily backed away, going over towards the sofa and sitting down, letting the words think in. She felt a tear slip down her cheek, then an arm wrap around her shoulder. Knowing it was Will, she leaned into him. "How did you even know we were here? How did you know where to find me?" he asked.

"I found some of dad's old stuff and was reading through it and there was something talking about when Shadowhunters are in visiting areas, there's always an institute, usually an old deserted church. I saw which way your carriage left, and followed the tracks." Cecily explained. Will was taken aback by what she said.

"You know how to follow tracks?" he asked, surprised. Cecily smiled and nodded. "Stop trying to impress me Cecy. You have to go home." Will said, shaking his head.

"I can't. Like you told me earlier, you can't go back." she said, sitting up.

"Because I've been away for more than a few hours. You have a chance still, you don't want this life." Will tried to convince her, but she was _his_ sister, and she wasn't backing down.

"I won't go back. I want to do things, I want a different life! I'm tired of being trapped in that house all day!" she cried. Will let out an exasperated sigh, shaking his head.

"Even if you become bored by your old life, there's no reason to take-to doing whatever you want! You could die Cecily!" He exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.

"Sounds much like yourself." a voice said, the Herondales turned to see Jem crossing his arms over his chest.

"Really? My _parabatai_, against me?" Will felt like he was going mad. Jem walked over, standing above Will.

"But, you still are right. Cecily," Jem turned to the young girl, "you are young, you can still go home. You promised me you would go home, you said you would act as if you never saw Will." Jem added.

Cecily shrugged and said, "I have a feeling that not _everyone_ keeps all of their promises."

Will smirked, "Cecy, upon further observation, I've realized, that, I don't care if you're staying here." Will claimed. He stood up and looked at Cecily.

"You mean I can stay?" she asked, excited, yet confused by his sudden change in mind. Will nodded.

"Yes. you can stay _here_. In the _York Institute_. Whereas Jem, Tessa and I? We'll be leaving tomorrow." he stated, walking out.

Cecily stared after him, her face fell and she looked up at Jem. "How do you even _stand_ him?" she asked, shaking her head.

"I don't know." Jem replied, shrugging and walking off after his _parabatai. _

Cecily sighed, rolling off of the sofa and walking out. The boys were out of her line of sight, and wandering down the halls. She stumbled upon a hallway, and after opening a few doors, found that they were all bedrooms. She heard a noise behind one, and knocked.

"Will or Jem, I don't care which one of you it is, please leave me alone." a voice called. Cecily knocked again, and this time she heard some shuffling and footsteps and the door opened, "Will- you're not Will..." she said. Cecily looked down at herself and back up at the girl in the door frame.

"Last time I checked, no." she said back.

"Sorry, I just saw a glimpse of blue eyes. You must be his sister from earlier, yes? I apologize, your name has escaped me." the girl said.

"Cecily. My name's Cecily. And you are?"

"Tessa. So, Cecily, I hope you do not mind me asking, but, why are you here?" Tessa asked.

"Everyone keeps asking me. I really am getting tired by it. I'm here because... I came to be trained?" Cecily said uncertainly.

"Why are you _actually_ here?" Tessa re-phrased.

"I came because I want Will to come back." Cecily said, looking to the floor. "But he won't leave. He isn't going to come back, so, I won't either." she said determinedly. _I see the determination to do anything is genetic..._ Tessa thought, slowly nodding.

"There you are!" a voice called from out in the hallway. Cecily turned to see Will coming down the hall with Jem behind him. "Why did you wander off? You don't know this place!" Will exclaimed.

"Why do you make it seem like I left? You wandered out first!" Cecily said back.

Tessa stepped out, joining Cecily's side, "Will, she is fine. Calm down." Tessa defended. Cecily smiled at her.

"Whose side is everyone on?" Will asked, shaking his head. "Jem first, now you..." he muttered.

"You are overreacting, really." Cecily said. "I just wanted to find you, but I had no idea where you went, and I found... Tessa?" Cecily looked to Tessa, who nodded, "Tessa's room. She seems to be he only person who has offered me any respect since I arrived."

"This is not her problem, do not drag her into this." Will said, glancing at Tessa. "Cecily, we're taking you home."

"Not unless you come too!" Cecily cried. Will shook his head.

"I cannot come with you, however I can go as far as being in the carriage if you wish." Will said, Ceily's face lit up. "_But,_ I cannot see mam or dad, I cannot step out of the carriage either. Just going with you is already risking things." he added. Cecily shook her head.

"I will not. You are coming, I know you want to come back. Either that, or I am staying.." she said.

"Cecy, I can't! It doesn't matter if I want to, I simply cannot! I have no real choice!" Will exclaimed.

"Then I am staying." she said, her statement clear. Will let out an exasperated sigh and ran a hand through his hair.

"Fine. But do not think that just because you are my sister, I will treat you as if you're special." he said, storming off.

Tessa looked to the young girl, who had a victorious look on her face, as well as one of slight disappointment. Cecily took one step after Will, but Tessa was quick to stop her with a hand on her shoulder. "I wouldn't. He isn't in the best mood right now. Give it until dinner. I promise, he will come around eventually." Tessa stated.

Cecily sighed. "I hope you're right."

* * *

**A/N. I assume you can guess that Cecily is now definitely going to be in this story a lot more now? Because, she will.**

** What'd you all think? Personally, I think this chapter was a fun one to write, it kind of jumped around, but not as much as previous ones have... This is probably the shortest chapter I've put up in awhile... I hope it was still just as good though!**

**-Translations-**

**"..._yw__ mam a dad ddiogel?"_\- "... _are mam and dad safe?"_**

**Reviews are always appreciated, if you have any ideas, anything you want to see, let me know! As long as the idea can fit into this, a T-rated story, Wessa, Clockwork Prince time-set, I'd love to hear them! **


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N. Here it is! Chapter twenty-two-oo-oo-oo! That song was stuck in my head while I was writing this chapter... I never even _listen_ to that song! Anyways, this chapter isn't about Taylor Swift, it's about Tessa, and Cecily bonding, relating to their family lives, Cecily having a girl to talk to, and much more.**

* * *

Tessa looked to the young girl, who had a victorious look on her face, as well as one of slight disappointment. Cecily took one step after Will, but Tessa was quick to stop her with a hand on her shoulder. "I wouldn't. He isn't in the best mood right now. Give it until dinner. I promise, he will come around eventually." Tessa stated.

Cecily sighed. "I hope you're right." She glanced down the hall, where Will had wandered down. "He's changed." she said gloomily.

Tessa walked up and put a hand on her shoulder. "People change. My brother isn't what I thought him to be anymore, either. Believe me, I know people change; and believe me, I know Will." Tessa said, opening her door more. "Cecily, come in. I can see something's on your mind, talking helps, I know."

Cecily nodded, entering. She sat on the bed and Tessa joined her. "I hope you know the _real_ Will. He became different. Now he's so secretive, and quiet and rude. He used to be fun, and nice, and loving... I feel like I don't even know him anymore."

"I felt like that with _my_ brother, Nate. I remember him from when we were little, he was fun and I loved him lots, then he moved away, and our aunt died. When I came to London, I didn't even see him until quite awhile after I arrived, which was odd, considering it was him who sent for me..." Tessa trailed off, seeing Cecily was losing interest. "My point is, when I saw him again, he looked so... _empty._ We took him in with us at the institute, and he put on this act of being on our side, and being afraid. He fed us lies, and tried to give me to this man, Mortmain is his name, he's after me for one reason or another, and that's actually why we came out here. To do more investigation."

"So, in other words, when your brother left, you remembered him as a sweet innocent young boy, and now, he's gone mad and now is consorting with a man who's trying to steal you away? That hardly seems right... Will would never do that to me, no brother would ever do that, there's no way." Cecily shook her head in disbelief.

"I've started doubting that he's even my _brother_. There's things about him that just don't seem... right_._" said Tessa, with a slight shudder. "Either way, you're better off with a brother who will keep you safe, even if it means pushing you out of his life; rather than having one who's betrayed you in more ways than you could have ever expected."

"I guess so... I think the only thing that bothers me is how Will feels like he needs to wrap me up and hide me away from the world now... He did leave over five years ago, and I never got any word from him until today." Cecily sighed, laying on her back.

"Sometimes people just need space." Tessa said with a shrug. "However, five years away sounds like plenty of space... I think he's just shocked at seeing you. As you had mentioned before, you saw him five years ago, he's grown, as have you. You aren't what he remembers either." Tessa pointed-out. Cecily looked at her, and nodded.

"I hope that's the case. I just want my brother back." said Cecily with a sigh.

Tessa smiled sympathetically at her, and gave her a side hug. "I know I cannot see into the future, but I know, this will even-out."

* * *

Will was pacing around the weapons room, the only room that he seemed to be able to easily find. He heard footsteps, and a voice. "I thought I might find you here." It was Jem.

"Jem, I'm sorry. I understand if you're cross, but please, forgive me, I never meant to offend you." Will apologized, coming to stand with his _parabatai._

"Will, I know you. I know you say things without thinking, I know you act thoughtlessly." Jem said, Will shrugged, _he's right._ "I needed a minute, all is fine."

"Thank you." Will said, with a slight smile. "Now, what time are we leaving tomorrow?"

"Are you sure your shoulder is fine?" Jem asked, wary.

"It will be if you give me an _iratze_. You know how it works. _Parabatai_ thing and all." Will said, even though Jem clearly knew. Jem nodded, pulling out his stele, and tracing one on Will's chest, near his shoulder.

"We can leave anytime, really. Why the rush?"

"I don't think it's been an enjoyable stay for any of us, Tessa was traumatized by the spoils, I cannot stand the place..._ And_ _Cecily found me_." Will said, mumbling the last part quietly to himself.

Jem heard all of what he said, but chose to act as if he didn't hear the last part. "I understand; and I do agree, Tessa was definitely shaken up. So, tomorrow morning, then?" Jem asked, smiling at his _parabatai_.

"That would be great. I'll go tell Tessa, and get her for diner... which I hope is soon... I'm starved." Will claimed, looking back at Jem, then beginning to walk off, "I shall see you soon." he threw over his shoulder, to which Jem smiled.

* * *

Tessa and Cecily had been talking for quite awhile, before the door opened. Will stood there, a smile on his face, that quickly fell to a mildly annoyed expression upon seeing Cecily. "Why are you in here?"

"I could ask you the same." Cecily stated, making Will scoff.

"I came to get Tessa, I need too talk to her, and we are eating soon... I hope." said Will.

"What do you need to tell me?" Tessa asked.

Will shook his head, "I can't, not with her in here. It's nothing of her concern."

"If it's a plan to throw me into a carriage and send it back home, you'll need to try harder than that."

"It's not about you leaving. I have accepted you will not go home." Will proclaimed, with a smirk.

"Well, then I will go wander about while you talk..." Cecily said, warily.

Once the young girl walked out, Will shut the door, and Tessa sighed. "She never stops talking."

"I know." Will sighed.

"So, what do you need to say?" Tessa said, still sitting in her bed. Will sat beside her, and put his arm around her.

"I want to say I'm sorry for how I was being earlier," he said, kissing her forehead. "But, I came here for other reasons. We will be leaving tomorrow morning."

"Why so soon? Are you sure you are well enough to travel?" asked Tessa, pulling back to look at him.

Will nodded. "I'm not dying, I promise you, I am fine."

"Alright. I trust you, don't make me regret it." she said back, with a nod. Will smiled, standing up. "Where are you going?" she asked, hopping to her feet. Will put out an arm for her, which she took.

"Diner. I'm not sure about you, but I could use something to eat." he said as they began walking. Tessa smiled, walking with him to the dining room, her arm in his. She didn't want anyone to see them together, she wasn't ready for that. When the came down the last hallway, Will dropped her arm as they entered the dining room, seeing the food on the table made them both second-guess coming down.

Will and Tessa sat down, and Jem appeared soundlessly next to Will. Jem was talking to Will, but Tessa could only hear what was being said by Will. "It's disturbing, that's what it is." She couldn't help but giggle at his comment, making Will grin at her. During the diner, Will and Jem slowly ate, it was clear they were starved, but Tessa had mastered not eating for days, so she simply made it look as if she was slowly taking bits and pieces of everything. She caught Will eyeing her a few times, but decided she didn't care what he thought.

Diner continued on all too silently, with no sign of Cecily. Will felt bothered by her absence, yet relieved; Tessa was surprised, yet understanding of why she chose not to be there. And then there was Jem, who didn't have much to worry about, but was still a bit put-off as to why she didn't show up. She was here, after all, and she chose to stay hidden.

They were quick to clear out after they had 'eaten'. Jem went off to his room, claiming to be tired from the day, and Will chose to follow Tessa. "Where are we going?" he asked, trailing slightly behind her.

"I was going to a room." she said, continuing her way down the hallway.

"Can I come along?" Will asked, appearing at her side.

Tessa shrugged, stopping at a door. "I don't see why not."

"This isn't your room..." Will said, tilting his head.

"No," said Tessa, "it is not. However, I know who's room it is, and she said she would be here." Tessa replied. She opened the door, walking in. Will glanced in, seeing Cecily staring back at him.

_"Will..."_ she said, her voice small. It made him think of when she had done something to upset him, and was trying to apologize to him.

* * *

**A/N. Will Will talk to her? Will he shut her back out? What happens next?! Well, looks like you'll have to wait until... I get 7 more reviews, because I finished the next chapter early again! But, if I don't get the seven reviews, you just have to simply wait until next week for the chapter to be posted at it's regular day.**

**Reviews are always appreciated, if you have any ideas, anything you want to see, let me know! As long as the idea can fit into this, a T-rated story, Wessa, Clockwork Prince time-set, I'd love to hear them! **


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N. The 23rd chapter****... I really hope you guys like this one!  
**

* * *

"No," said Tessa, "it is not. However, I know who's room it is, and she said she would be here." Tessa replied. She opened the door, walking in. Will glanced in, seeing Cecily staring back at him.

"Will..." she said, her voice small. It made him think of when she had done something to upset him, and was trying to apologize to him. He walked in, and looked at her. Cecily smiled, it was a sad smile, but still a smile nonetheless. Will felt the corner of his mouth twitch up, by a fraction, when she walked over to him. Will stepped forwards, moving on terms that weren't his own, and put his arms around her, and hers going around his waist. "You're back." she whispered, looking up at him, violet-blue eyes meeting violet-blue eyes. She was smiling brighter now, as they released each other.

"However I cannot stay." he said, moment of connection broken. Cecily's face fell as she took a step back.

"Quit telling me what to do!" she exclaimed.

"I said nothing about you. I said _I_ cannot stay. Not you." He pointed out. Cecily shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest.

"This isn't fair! You are implying that you don't want me around! Why not? I want to be with my brother again, I lost you and Ella within less than a week! I just want you back. I want everything back to how it was!" Cecily shouted, her breath hitching.

"This is exactly what I mean! Cecily, you're acting like a child, _you are_ _fifteen-years-old!_ You know time cannot be turned back!" Will returned.

"Mam was right about the Shadowhunters; they took all of your love, you cannot love anyone or care anymore." she whispered, looking to the ground.

It took all the energy Will had not to try and tell her differently, but it was truth, mostly. _It wasn't Shadowhunters, _he thought,_ it was myself. _But he knew, he did it for the best of those around him. But he still did it, he still stopped caring, he still tried to stop loving.

"When I came here, I came to find my brother. The one who'd run and play with me outside, the one who'd help me when I was trying to figure something out, the one who insisted on bandaging my scraped knees; I had hope for you, I really did, I still do. But now, it's hanging on by a thread, but I know you're there somewhere, I know you aren't lost completely." Cecily said, her voice shaky, her eyes, _her tear-filled eyes_, now fully meeting his.

"Then you hold hope for a non-existent cause." Will shook his head, turning to exit the room... But he didn't... Something kept him there, _a hand_ on his. He turned to see Tessa, whom he'd forgotten was even in the room, looking up at him with a desperate, pleading look in her eyes.

"Will, don't. You need to stay, she _needs_ you to-"

"She is old enough, and should be capable to live without her _big brother_ anymore." Will snapped, cutting off Tessa's words. "You knew I would follow you, you knew she would be here. But what you do not know, is where I'm going; and I wouldn't suggest following me." he snarled, throwing the door open, and stomping his way out.

Tessa watched him, until he was no longer in sight. Once Will was no longer in her field of vision, she turned around, looking to Cecily. It was clear Cecily was gravely upset by what had happened, but was trying to keep herself together, trying to stay strong. However, people can only stay strong for so long; Cecily sat down, taking deep breaths, no, _gasping_ for air, obviously trying to hold in her impending cries. It didn't take long before she grabbed a pillow, burying her face in it and screaming into it. Tessa felt an odd instinct take her over, and before she realized what she was doing, she was sitting next to the young girl and putting her arms around her shoulders, trying to comfort her in any way she could think of.

Cecily hated crying. She rarely did anymore, but now, it felt like it was all she could bring herself to do. Even though she barely knew Tessa, she already felt like she could trust her well enough, so when she came to her, she didn't recoil from her touch, she simply let her be there, it almost felt _calming_. For as long as Cecily could remember, when she cried, it was always Will who would hold her, tell her everything would be alright, even if it was him who had upset her in the first place. He would tell her he would make things up to her, get her a new doll, take extra time to play with her outside, have tea with her, no matter how old he got, or how ridiculous it seemed to have an eleven-year-old boy having tea with her and Ella. Those were the good days, those were the days that she felt happy. Those days were gone.

When Ella died, it drove Will away. Cecily never knew why, maybe he couldn't stand having his older sister die, maybe he couldn't stand how his parents reacted, maybe he didn't want to see the same thing happen to Cecily. She never knew, but she remembered the loud crying she heard from her mother, every night, for several weeks. She would hear her wailing, sometimes even yelling at an unknown force, asking for her daughter back, asking for her son to return home. It never happened, of course. Ella was dead, and there's no coming back from that, and Will, Will was gone. Cecily could only remember waking up to find out her sister was dead, then the next morning, realizing her brother was gone. It shattered her heart.

Ella was exactly what Cecily wanted to be, a brave and courageous young lady. One who's death was not in vain, from what she knew, she was protecting Will, she took an attack from a demon, protecting their brother. Ella stood up for them, she was an angel, and her return to heaven was too soon, she was too young, too gentle. Everyone in the house, when they realized Ella had died, stopped. Everything stood still, Cecily only caught a small glimpse at what happened, but could hardly make out what it was. No one would let her see her big sister, one last time. Her parents said she was too young, too innocent to see death, and perhaps they were right.

When Cecily awoke the next morning, she had had a nightmare. Whenever she had nightmares, she always went to Ella, or Will. Usually she would go to her sister first, their rooms were closer together, but Ella was gone. So, Cecily ran down the hall, knocking on Will's door. _"Will... Will open the door. Please? Will, I had a nightmare... Gwilym let me in..."_ she said. _"Will, please open the door."_ When he didn't open the door, she figured he might still be sleeping, so she opened the door herself. When she entered, there was no one there. His bed was unmade, and empty, his room was it's usual condition, several things out of place, but not quite messy. But the one thing that was most out of place, was Will. He wasn't there.

Cecily remembered running out of his room, looking all over the house for him, but not finding him. She began calling his name, but there was no answer, she looked in most of the rooms, only the ones she knew he could be in, but he was nowhere to be seen. After all rooms seemed checked, she went to their parents room, banging on the door. When her father opened the door, he looked still half-asleep. He asked her what was wrong, why she was awake so early, what happened, and the only words that came to her lips were: _"Will's gone."_

* * *

Soon after Will had left, he felt about ready to jump out of a window. He wouldn't really, but he began contemplating what would happen if he did. He hated being who he was, it broke him and tore his heart out to be like that. He wanted to be who Cecily wanted him to be, but that boy was gone. _He disappeared the moment Ella died,_ he told himself. That sweet, young, loving, caring boy, was replaced by someone who had to shut everyone out, by a boy who could love no one, and be loved by no one.

"Will, is everything alright?" a familiar voice asked. Will turned to see Jem, the look on his face one of concern and curiosity.

"It is. I'd be daring enough to say quite alright, actually." Will replied, clearly lying. Jem saw through it all too easily.

"No, it is not." Jem said, shaking his head.

* * *

**A/N. What did you guys think of that chapter? Kinda depressing... I just really wanted to write more about what happened when Will left, I feel like it wasn't talked about much in the actual books. I also apologize if I got it wrong, I didn't remember reading much of anything saying exactly how he left, who discovered it first, whether or not he left anything behind, indicating that he was gone...**

**Reviews are always appreciated, if you have any ideas, anything you want to see, let me know! As long as the idea can fit into this, a T-rated story, Wessa, Clockwork Prince time-set, I'd love to hear them! **


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N. Well, here's chapter 24... I hope it's good... or even _great_. Or maybe _FABULOUS! _But, I will settle for good... Good works...**

* * *

"It is. I'd be daring enough to say quite alright, actually." Will replied, clearly lying. Jem saw through it all too easily.

"No, it is not." Jem said, shaking his head. "I know you, and I know when you lie. What have you done?"

"You act as if it was me who started this." Will said, his eyes widening.

"Because it was you! You feel like you have to shut her out. You shut _everyone _out. Why do you do it?" Jem asked, raising his voice, slightly. But still sounding louder than a hundred screams.

"I don't have a choice. I do what I have to do to keep everyone safe."

"You keep everyone safe by pushing them away? Yet you open up to me at most times, and what does that mean? If pushing away is safety, then that means you pull me to danger? William, explain why you feel like you have to do this. There is no way that this is considered 'safe' by pushing the people who care for you away!" he demanded.

"To hell with them. I don't want their sympathy, I do not want their caring, loving nature. I want them to be safe, not to fall into a trap. They do not care for me, they cannot."

"Will, you aren't making sense right now." Jem stated, crossing his arms

"I make perfect sense. You just don't understand. You can't, you never will." Will growled.

Jem looked to his _parabatai_, feeling as confused as he probably looked._ If I don't understand, then let me,_ Jem thought. He considered saying it, but Will definitely did not look like he wanted to talk anymore. "I guess I will leave you to your thoughts then." he said, turning to walk away, back to his room.

* * *

Tessa and Cecily were still in Cecily's room, the young girl had managed to slow her tears, but she hadn't stopped entirely. Tessa would pat her back, wipe a tear away ever now and then, and it felt normal. It didn't feel like they were strangers to each other, even though they practically were.

Cecily was comforted by Tessa in a way that only her family had ever been able to provide, and it felt nice to have someone around. She almost wanted to say something, but she didn't know what. Her mind was too clouded by memories, good ones, and bad ones. The past was the past, but that didn't mean that it would cease to exist once it happened. The past was like that one person who you can never escape, they follow you everywhere, haunting your conscience until you correct what has been wronged, or, accept what has happened, and that you cannot change it now. She had to accept that Will was different, but she wasn't ready, she knew, under all his lies, something was hidden, a reason he did what he did. She just didn't know what it was.

"Tessa," Cecily looked up at the older girl, a curious look on her face. "You say you know Will, you said he's different. Why is he different around you and Jem, but pushes me away?" she asked, hoping she had an answer.

"I'm not sure Cecily. He's been close with Jem ever since they met. As for me..." _he's in love with me_, "I'm not sure. He knows so much about me, but I hardly know much of him." she replied.

Cecily nodded and yawned. "I should let you go now, you must be tired. I know I am..." she said, a light laugh escaping her lips.

Tessa nodded, standing up, "goodnight then, Cecily." she said, walking to the door. "Sleep well." she added, walking out, closing the door behind herself.

* * *

Tessa walked down the hall, opening the door to her room. She threw her trunk on her bed, tossing all of her things in it, in the event they were still leaving early in the morning.

She felt guilty, not informing Cecily that this might be the last time they see each other, but it hopefully wouldn't be a big problem.

Once she was done with packing, she threw the trunk on the floor with a loud crash, and kicked it, effectively displacing it to the corner of the room. A sharp pain jutted up her leg, but she could care less about it. "What did the thing ever do to you?" Will asked from the door way.

Tessa's eyes snapped up towards him, he looked rather distraught, but when didn't he? "What are you doing here?" Tessa asked sharply.

Will was taken slightly aback by her harsh tone. "I just came to make sure you were alright. That was a really loud crash. And, you really were unsettled last night." he said with a shrug.

"Do not even bother worrying about me." she snapped.

"Tess, I'm sorry if I've done anything-"

"Don't apologize to me." she spat, cutting him off. "I don't want your apologizes, I don't need them." she said, shaking her head. "If you are saying that you're 'sorry' to anyone, go talk to your sister. I only spent the last half hour with her, while she cried telling me nothing except that you've changed. She misses you, more than you could ever imagine. If you have any ounce of respect for her, any bit of pity for _anyone_, you would go talk to her." Tessa said, with a huff.

Will looked at her with a shocked expression,_ she's right you know_, a voice in his head said. He had learned to deny that voice every time it said anything, but this time, it wouldn't stop. _You have disgraced yourself, you have nothing to lose, you have lost everything,_ it said.

Tessa watched Will stand in the door way, looking very surprised at her outburst, then very conflicted. She knew what she said was harsh, but it had to be said. You never know how much one person can affect another until you sit with them for as long as she did with Cecily; seeing the young girl with her walls down, her emotions raw, it's hard to handle. You could see the hurt in her eyes, feel the pain that she felt.

"I can't do it." Will muttered, shaking his head.

Tessa looked up at him, "Will, you can. She _needs_ this. Go show her you can still be who she knows. I know he's there. I know that Will isn't lost for good. I see him, when you let me." Tessa stood up, standing next to him. "You _can_, Will. I know you can face her." she said.

He shook his head again, looking up at Tessa. "No, I cannot. No matter how much I wish to, no matter how much I want to, _I cannot."_ he said, his voice soft and weak.

"Why? Why do you always say things like that? You can talk to her, say what she needs to hear, you always know what to say. I know who you are, I know who you hide."

"You've said it yourself, _you hardly know me._ So why are you suddenly saying that you do?" Will shot back.

"I'm saying I don't know your _personal_ life. However, I know _who_ you are. Will, I know who you can be, I know who hides behind all the walls you build around yourself."

Will shook his head, turning away. "You have no idea what's hidden behind all these _'walls'_. You would understand why I did what I have done if you truly did." he accused.

"Will, _please,_ you can't hide everything. You need to be yourself, not the person you make everyone believe you are! That isn't you! You are caring, and polite. That is the real Will, the one who loves books, he loves his family," Tessa saw Will shaking his head, he began taking steps away from her, _"he loves me!"_ she cried as a last-ditch effort.

Will turned back, looking at her, his face softening. "Tessa..." he said under his breath.

Tessa could feel tears stinging the backs of her eyes, but she would hold them back. "When Cecily showed up, that Will disappeared. He hid away from the world. Show me he isn't gone." Tessa pleaded.

Will took a few steps towards her. "How can I, then?" he asked, taking her hands in his. "How can I show you I still love you?"

"Prove yourself to be who I know you can be." Tessa said, her eyes meeting his. "You know who you are, prove to me that you aren't lost."

Will moved back, stepping back. "What must be done?" he asked, desperate to regain her trust.

"The day is at it's end. I expect you to have made peace with Cecily before we leave." Tessa stated, stepping back into her room. "I believe in you, do not make me regret it." she said, shutting the door, separating them.

Will took a deep breath. He knew what had to be done. However, whether or not he could do it was a whole other question.

* * *

**A/N. Oh gods... What will he do?! What has he done to everyone? Dear me, the world is falling apart!**

** Goodness, this chapter was a hard one to write. Some things just tear your feels out, put them in a blender, and give you the shredded remains, to write. I have weird emotions, and I get them a lot writing this story. I hope this chapter was good. I hope everyone liked it too!**

**Also, next week's chapter might be up a bit late. I'm going away next Thursday, and all through the weekend, and don't know if I will have internet access, and if I do, I wouldn't have a computer, so I will have to work out the problems with my phone, and post from that...**

**Reviews are always appreciated, if you have any ideas, anything you want to see, let me know! As long as the idea can fit into this, a T-rated story, Wessa, Clockwork Prince time-set, I'd love to hear them! **


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N. Wow, here we have chapter 25. This is just... I'm astonished I have written this many chapters. Writing this story has helped me more than anything. Thank you, so much, to everyone who reads this. It makes my day, seeing how many readers I get on a daily basis, even when I haven't put up a chapter in a while, I still get lots of reads...**

** Speaking of not putting up a chapter in awhile, I also want to apologize for the lack of chapter last week. I was out of town, and had no wifi for the first few days. I was so busy catching up/reading missed chapters from other stories, and also betaing (for the amazing Roselyn M's story _Truth Be Told_... which I highly recommend you read, really, it is an amazing story, much more so than my own), but between all that, I just lost track of time and never got around to posting this chapter... No one's gonna kill me, right? Good... Now, without more excuses here we have it, the 25th chapter!**

* * *

"The day is at it's end. I expect you to have made peace with Cecily before we leave." Tessa stated, stepping back into her room. "I believe in you, do not make me regret it." she said, shutting the door, separating them.

Will took a deep breath. He knew what had to be done. However, whether or not he could do it was a whole other question.

* * *

Will stood, staring at Tessa's door for what felt like an eternity, before finally moving. He wanted to talk too Cecily, he thought of what Tessa had said earlier in their conversation _'I only spent the last half hour with her, while she cried telling me nothing except that you've changed'_ she had said. _People change..._ he thought, but then, he knew his sister, and even when she was little, you _really_ had to make her upset if she was crying, and it was never for really long if she did. _I have truly have ruined everything._ he thought, making his way down the halls.

He stopped infront of Cecily's door, he would talk to her in the morning, but they were going to leave then. But, there was a high chance Cecily was already asleep. Will lingered outside of her room, he could hear a low whimpering from the other side of the door. He wanted to open the door, see what was wrong, he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

Will stood outside her room, he could hear her calling out several times, he debated leaving, then he heard her call his name. Will bit his lip, willing pain to come, focusing him on something else, but there it was again _"Will"_ He heard her gasp momentarily after that, and it was then, he finally willed himself to go in.

When he opened the door, Cecily was sitting up, her knees drawn into her chest with her arms wrapped around them, and her head resting on her knees. Her whole body was shaking, sobs wracking her body.

Will slowly and quietly approached her, sitting next to her. She looked up at him, and crawled over to him. Will wrapped his arms around her as she climbed into his lap, she was tiny, and this was always her favourite way of being comforted by her brother; curling up in his lap as he held her, telling her everything was alright, it was just a dream. Saying things like, she was fine, he wouldn't let anything happen to her.

_"Cecily, you're fine. It was a bad dream, you are safe."_ he whispered, stroking her hair.

Cecily shook, tears pouring from her eyes in a steady stream. _"I'm n-... not fine. I... I never will be."_ she said in between sobs.

Will took a deep breath, contemplating on what to say next. The words flew from his mouth before he could even stop them _"I'm sorry."_

Cecily's attention snapped up to him, her head tilting to face his. Her lower lip was trembling and her eyes were glossy with tears, her cheeks, stained with them. "No, you are not." she said, her voice still shaking.

"Cecily, I am. I never wanted to hurt you like that." he said, his voice pleading for forgiveness.

"Then why did you do it?" she asked, taking deep breaths.

Will knew, he couldn't tell her. She couldn't ever possibly understand what this curse was. She would never know. "I last saw you five years ago. Things have changed, Cecy. I can't be exactly what I was then. I had to do what I did." he said, hoping she would believe him.

"No you didn't!" she exclaimed, "Will, stop saying that! You didn't have to do anything just because you had to! Why would you think that you had to treat me so?" she demanded.

Will shushed her, she was shouting, and it was late at night. "Cecily, I'm trying, I really am. I can't explain why what happened, _happened_. I can't change the past." he explained, shaking his head.

"Just tell me why. I can handle whatever it is." she assured.

Will shook his head. "I cannot. Maybe one day, you might understand. Maybe you will know." he said.

"Tessa told me you were different." Cecily claimed, shaking her head. "She said that you were still nice to her. Though she didn't say why, I know. You love her."

Will was taken aback, surely she hadn't already figured that out... "I have no idea what you're talking about." he claimed, his voice calm.

"Yes you do. I've seen the way you've looked at her, why else would you treat her differently?" Cecily asked, moving to sit next to Will.

"I treat her differently because she has been through a lot." Will said, although still truthful, it was not the real reason. realized

"What's happened to her that hasn't to me? She lost her brother, he's still alive, but he isn't the same. You must have seen how it's torn her apart. Now think of what it's done to me! I was just a child when you left! I woke up, and . realized you were gone!" Cecily exclaimed, raising her voice once again.

Though Will could argue that much else has happened to Tessa that Cecily has never experienced, he did not. Instead, he thought of her words thinking about how ruined Tessa had become upon realizing Nate wasn't who she thought he was. He then thought of what else Cecily brought up, _'I woke up, and _. _realized that you were gone!'_ What persuaded her to find Will? She rarely ever came to him in the mornings, it was almost always their parents who would wake him.

Cecily saw Will's slightly confused expression, and looked down at her hands. _"I had a nightmare, I went to find you, and you were gone."_ she whispered, closing her eyes so she wouldn't have to look at him.

Will had distinct memories of his little sister running into his room, climbing into his bed and curling up on his lap, talking about her nightmares, telling him they felt so real, he remembered staying awake while letting her sleep when she had been having bad dreams. There was only so much he could do, back then. He always told her he would always protect her from bad dreams, he would never let anything hurt her.

Will could only imagine how terrifying it would have been, having a scary dream, then waking up to a terrifying realization that she was alone. "Cecy, I'm sorry. I was a coward." Those were words Will never thought he'd hear himself say... "I couldn't face you or mam and dad, I ran away, leaving only a not indicating my absence. I couldn't stay." he said, his voice quiet and sad.

"But why did you leave?" Cecily asked, looking up at him finally.

Will could hear the pain in her voice, he knew it was hard on himself to leave, and for Cecily, to have just lost _both_ of her siblings within such a short period of time, it had to have been impossible.

"Will, why did you have to leave? Why couldn't you have stayed?" she asked again, her words desperate.

"I..." Will couldn't tell her, could he? He took a deep breath. "I didn't want to see the same thing happen to you. I didn't want to risk anything. I had to leave." he explained.

"What does that even mean? How would staying be _'risking anything'?_ Please, explain your reasons to me." Cecily pleaded.

"There may come a day I will explain, but that day is not today." Will said, shaking his head.

"Why not? I have waited five years to know why you left us." Cecily countered, feeling hopeless. _"Why you left me..."_

Will stopped. He couldn't keep this masquerade going on any longer, but he couldn't reveal it either. "Cecily, I think it's time I should leave." Will muttered, one foot already on the ground.

Cecily grabbed Will's hand. He stopped to face her. "Will, whatever reason you left, I just want you to remember us. I don't want you to forget." Cecily said, then dropped his hand.

"I will never forget you, trust me Cecily, I will _always_ remember you and mam and dad." Will assured, taking one last look into her eyes, before walking out of the room.

Cecily watched until the door was closed. This was it, wasn't it? The last time she would see him, as he was. He would go back to being the Will who pushed everyone away once the sun rose, acting as if this night had never happened.

* * *

**A/N. Awww, Cecily... Poor girl, everything's so hard... And, hell yeah to Will for growing a pair and_ finally_ facing her, trying to tell her what he could... This author's note suddenly feels awkward... did I really just write 'hell yeah to Will for growing a pair and...'... I did... Okay then, brain that's enough weird terms I never use for today...**

**So, how'd you guys like this chapter? I worked really hard on it, and if you can't tell, we're _finally_ moving on from the trip to York (which dragged out forever)! **

**Reviews are always very much appreciated! (Yeah, that's right, I changed this damned Authour's Note again!)**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N. ****I'd say 26 chapters is plenty, yeah? So, I won't write any more, sound good? No? Not good? Well, that's good to know, clearly I will write more. But... Unfortunately, it won't be as often. I will post every two weeks now instead of every week... I just have been getting other work that takes up my time, and I need more time to work on these chapters.**

* * *

"I will never forget you, trust me Cecily, I will _always_ remember you and mam and dad." Will assured, taking one last look into her eyes, before walking out of the room.

Cecily watched until the door was closed. This was it, wasn't it? The last time she would see him, as he was. He would go back to being the Will who pushed everyone away once the sun rose, acting as if this night had never happened.

* * *

The next morning, Tessa was woken up by a soft voice, trying not to be too loud, _"Tessa, we have to go. Wake up, Tess."_

Her eyes fluttered open, and she was met with Will's radiant violet-blue eyes.

"Tessa, we need to leave now." he said in a hushed voice.

Tessa looked at the clock on he wall. It wasn't even six in the morning yet, and he was already rushing her; she grunted, an irritated look making it's way onto her face. Tessa sat up, stretching out her arms and yawning. "Go get Jem. When he is ready, I will be." she said, running a hand through her tangled, brown hair.

"I already have. We're waiting for _you_ to get ready." Will claimed, backing away as Tessa slowly stood up.

She was secretly glad she had fallen asleep in her day clothes, so that took out one problem. "My things are over there, I will be ten minutes." Tessa announced, shoving Will out.

"What do you have left to do? You look ready enough." he remarked.

"Just give me a minute to wake up, and fix my mess of hair."

"I'll give you five, that's all you get." he said, walking out, shutting the door behind himself.

Will had nearly no sleep at all last night. He was up all night, planning how early to leave, and, more than anything, thinking about what he had said to Cecily. He couldn't help but feel as if he should have said more, should have told her everything. But, he shouldn't, he wouldn't, _he couldn't._ There was no way, he could convince himself to tell anyone, the only person who knew aside from himself was Magnus, and even then he'd been very vague about the given details.

"Not in a good mood this morning are we?" asked a familiar voice. Will turned around to see Jem, his arms crossed over his chest, a smirk playing at his face.

"I've been better." Will grumbled.

"Have you woken Tessa?" asked Jem.

Will nodded, "I have. however, she didn't look like she was in a mood to travel so early." he claimed, thinking about her tired, and annoyed, look when he woke her up.

"I can say I wasn't either," Jem admitted, "Will, you did insist on waking _me_ up at nearly half past five in the morning. It's nice you gave Tessa more time to sleep though." he said, shrugging.

"Speaking of Tessa," Will looked behind him and Jem, seeing Tessa dragging her trunk behind her.

"Can one of you help me? This is really heavy to be lifting alone when I am not awake." she called, slumping back, leaning against the trunk.

Jem walked down the hall, taking it from her and carrying it to where he and Will put theirs in the front entryway.

"Thank you." she said, smiling.

Jem returned the smile, "not a problem." he said.

"Let's load these onto the carriage, shall we?" asked Will, appearing in-between them.

"Where is he? I thought you told him we were leaving early... I haven't seen him anywhere." Jem observed.

"He's already preparing the horses, I believe he is outside waiting for us." Will proclaimed, opening the doors.

Jem and Tessa shared a look before following Will outside. It was a surprise to see the carriage was actually ready at such and ungodly hour.

Will and Jem grabbed Tessa's things along with theirs, bringing it over to the carriage. Quickly, everyone and everything was packed up, and they were ready to set off.

Will was the first to sit, facing the front, and Jem sat on the other side, facing him and the back. Tessa, hating the jerk back she always got when facing the back, opted to sit next to Will. He smirked as she sat but didn't make a big deal about anything. One the carriage started moving, Tessa was glad too have stayed in her seat for a change.

Tessa, growing slightly uncomfortable with the awkward silence, spoke up, "how did everyone sleep?" she asked casually, trying to do something aside from sitting silently, hoping to get a conversation started.

"What sleep?" Jem joked, a grin playing at his lips.

Tessa laughed and Will groaned. "I see no humour in the truth. I got no sleep." he stated, shaking his head.

_Why not?_ Tessa wanted to ask, but already had a feeling she knew why._ He must have talked to Cecily at one point or another._

"Well, compared to other nights, I'd say I slept more soundly." Jem said, with a shrug.

Tessa nodded her head, puffing her cheeks out, then, blowing out a stream of air.

"What are you doing?" Will asked, a look of deep confusion on his face.

"It's called breathing, Will. you should try it. I've heard it saves lives." Tessa stated, causing Will to roll his eyes and Jem to laugh.

"How does it feel to have the blatantly obvious, throw at _you_ for a change?" Jem asked, addressing Will.

"I don't feel." he stated, closing in on himself.

Tessa rolled her eyes, but remained silent. It was still a wonder to her how easily lies came to Will. Tessa could see him, alone, with his walls down, but that was rare enough. When he was with Jem, then walls were down then too. But, if Tessa or _anyone_ began to question any little aspect about him, the walls were back up, and as strong as ever.

Jem sighed, shaking his head. "Alright, on to more important things," Jem said, looking back and forth between Will and Tessa. "What are we going to tell Charlotte? She was expecting us to get more information, but honestly, it seemed that our objective was lost when Cecily showed up."

"We do not speak of Cecily, we simply found out about a manor house owned by Mortmain's family, went to investigate, and there was a family living there. Due to that, we were unable to further investigate. We did not talk to that blasted old man for he was... not so approachable?"

"No, we did not talk to Mr. Starkweather, but we can know what he would have said." Tessa claimed, a grin on her face. "I many have found a button he dropped in the dining room at the diner last night. I can use it, hopefully, to change." Tessa said with a deep breath.

The boys nodded, "I think that will work fine. Tessa, you really know what must be done. Are you sure you are comfortable with that?" asked Jem, a slightly concerned look on his face.

"But, I wish to do it alone. No one will be present when I change,"

"We need to ask him things, how can we? Why alone?" Will asked, as if the answer should be blatantly obvious.

"For one, changing has been traumatizing, and I still haven't completely mastered it." Tessa explained.

"Fair enough." said Jem, shrugging.

Suddenly, the carriage shook. Everyone became alert to the odd jostling of their transportation. It was true that the carriage would periodically move around, but this wasn't the same. Jem pushed the curtain away from the carriage window, and looked out.

"What do you see?" asked Tessa.

"Honestly, not much. It is still rather dark, the sun hasn't risen much enough." Jem said in return.

Just then, the carriage shook again.

"Alright, this should not be shaking to this extent. What is going on?" Will demanded.

Jem reached to the top of the carriage, knocking in the roof. The carriage stopped momentarily, then began moving again.

Tessa looked from Will to Jem, and back again. "What's happening?" she asked, her voice panicky.

Will shrugged and Jem looked outside again. "I say we ignore it. If things _do_ get worse, I will find out why." Jem stated, smiling encouragingly.

Tessa nodded, still feeling slightly unnerved. "Are we at the train station yet?" she asked, eager to get out of the carriage.

"Soon, Tessa. We will be soon." Jem replied, nodding.

Tessa took a breath and tried her best to calm back down. It was hard to supress the thoughts that kept coming to her head however, _what if it's automatons, what if someone is trying to come for me, what if..._

"Tessa, everything is alright." Will said from beside her. She realized that she had spoken aloud, and they had heard her internal thoughts and worries.

"I hope it will be." she muttered.

Jem peered out of the window, again, and smiled, "we're almost there. We can get off of this carriage soon enough, Tessa."

Tessa instantly felt herself light up a bit. "Good to know," she said, more to herself than anyone else.

* * *

The remaining five minutes to get off of that carriage and onto the train felt too long. Will and Jem sat of one side, Tessa sat facing them. "Alright, so when we arrive back in London, it will be late afternoon or early evening, correct?"

"That is correct Miss Gray. 10 metaphorical points to you." said Will, his words laced with sarcasm.

Tessa cocked her head to the side, confused. "_'10 metaphorical points'_? I'm sorry, that..." she shook her head.

Will smirked, and glanced into the hall of the train car; suddenly, his eyes went wide as he looked.

* * *

**A/N. ****Oh, me and my cliff-hangers... I would like to apologize for my new update schedule, I just have hard times finding time to write, and also, having **_**two**_** stories on the go, isn't as easy as you'd think...**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N. Chapter 27... ****I will not end this chapter with a cliff-hanger for once!**

* * *

Tessa cocked her head to the side, confused. "_'10 metaphorical points'_? I'm sorry, that..." She shook her head.

Will smirked, and glanced into the hall of the train car; suddenly, his eyes went wide as he looked.

"Will, what are you looking at?" Tessa asked, looking out into the train car. She caught a glimpse of a figure walk by, then disappear into a seat.

"Nothing." he said, indifferently.

Tessa slowly nodded her head, "alright, then." she said, turning to look back at him.

"Will, what did you see?" Jem asked, a worried tone coasting his words.

"Nothing." he grumbled.

"Of course it was nothing," Jem sighed.

Will grinned, "and that, James, is exactly why I said nothing."

Jem rolled his eyes, and Tessa sighed indifferently. _Will doesn't want to talk, he won't._

The silence setting over them was becoming too awkward for Tessa's liking, she looked around the train cabin, looking at the floor, her hands, the Carstairs ring... She realized she hadn't given it back to Jem. She slid it off, "Jem, I forgot about this..." she said, holding it out to him.

He smiled and took it. "Not a problem. I know it was in good care with you." he said, sliding it back onto his hand.

Will couldn't help but watch their exchange, _one day,_ he thought,_ perhaps she would be wearing a ring with another initial on it... possibly that of the 8th letter in the alphabet..._

"Will, what do you think?" Tessa's voice snapped him from his thought.

He turned to her, seeing an expectant look on her face. "I think that's a splendid idea." he improvised, having no idea what had been previously said.

"So you're alright with it if we toss you into a pond full of ducks?" Jem asked.

Will had a horrified look on his face. "I take back what I said. That is an awful plan."

"Did you even hear a word we said?" Tessa asked with a sigh.

"Maybe not. But, whatever it was most likely didn't concern me." he assumed.

"Regardless, we do wish you could possibly pay a hint of attention." Jem chimed in.

"Fine, I can try. However, I make no promises. We have a long train ride ahead of us, and if I fall asleep, that won't be my fault." he claimed.

An awkward silence fell over the trio. Tessa wanted to say something, but no words could come to her lips. She took a deep breath, looking back and forth between Will and Jem. No words came to anyone's mouths, it became a stare down, Will's icy violet-blue eyes against Tessa's stormy grey ones, Jem's silver eyes looking at his Carstairs ring, twisting it around his finger. Will seemed to be taking too much joy in staring down at Tessa, she would catch smirks occasionally lighting up his face, then disappearing as quickly as they appeared.

"This is getting ridiculous." said Tessa, breaking eye contact.

"Ha! I win." he exclaimed, smirking, and letting it stay.

"Like it matters. That was becoming silly and childish. I don't expect to stare at you all day."

"Why not? Am I not the most handsome man you've ever laid your eyes on?" he joked.

Tessa rolled her eyes..._ Will, being typical Will._

"But honestly, this silence is giving me odd vibes." he claimed, turning to Jem. "You've been too quiet. Start a conversation." he commanded.

"I suggest we talk about how bothersome you can be, or embarrassing." he suggested, Will flinched. "Oh, Will, don't you remember that time, we were fifteen."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Will claimed, giving Jem a look, hoping he would cease his talking.

"Oh, I'll just jog your memory for you. We were fifteen, out on a hunting trip. Just you and I, a small drevak demon was spotted and we went to deal with it."

"James, you can stop talking now." Will stated.

"I'm not done." said Jem, "where was I? Right, drevak demon. We were hidden in an alleyway, waiting for it to cross infront, and you decided it would be a good idea to try and lure it out by standing in the middle of the roads without telling me where you went. So, I wandered out to find you, upon seeing movement you jumped on me, effectively knocking us both to the ground and having the drevak find us and-"

"Stop. Talking. Please." Will growled.

Jem sighed. "I was just getting to the best part!" he exclaimed, causing a laugh to escape Tessa.

"No. I never want to relive that moment. I was fifteen. It seemed like a good idea, everything did..." he mumbled.

"I want to hear the rest of this story." Tessa stated, smirking at Will's slight discomfort.

Just as Jem was about to open his mouth, Will clamped his hand over it. "Speak another word and I will throw you into that alleged pond of duck you spoke of earlier."

Jem raised his hands in mock-surrender. "Honestly, Will, threatening me with _your_ fears, won't accomplish much of anything. But, I won't say more."

"Thank you." Will said with a sigh of relief.

"How could anything be so awful that you wouldn't let him finish." asked Tessa.

"Leave it at this: If Jem were to tell you the rest of that story, I would lose face. My life, _gone_... Well, practically." Will stated, looking her dead in the eyes.

"Interesting." said Tessa.

Everything fell silent once more, Will looking at Jem, whom was looking at Tessa, whom was watching Will. No one said a thing, no one moved a muscle, but everything suddenly arose to panic when the train came to a sudden halt, throwing Tessa from her seat over to Will and Jem.

"Why does it always have to be me who always gets pitched forwards into you?" she asked herself, brushing her skirts off and taking her seat again.

"More importantly, why has the train stopped?" asked Will, a curious look on his and Jem's faces.

"It has happened before. Sometimes it's just a fault in the tracks. This kind of thing shouldn't take long to fix," Jem assured.

Tessa let out a sigh of relief, being stuck on a train longer that she had to be definitely was not something on her list of things to do.

"I for one have next to no patience at the moment." announced Will.

Jem looked to his _parabatai_, "don't expect us to do anything. All we can do is wait."

"And hope nothing comes for us... While we're stopped, completely vulnerable to anything and everything around us and-"

"Enough, Will. Now is not a time to joke around." Jem stated, cutting off Will. "We haven't been in the safest conditions for the past while, and you going off saying things like that," he shook his head, "Will, honestly, not the best thing to do right now."

Realization at what the boys were saying came across Tessa's mind, along with mental images of automatons following them, "will we start moving soon or not?" Tessa asked, feeling fear slowly creeping up on her.

Jem, seeing her slightly frightened look, was quick to reassure her things would be alright.

"We won't be long, Tess. Don't worry." Will added.

She nodded, sincere hope everything was fine. "I will try not to..." she muttered

"I think I need to stretch my legs, Tessa, would you care to join me?" Jem offered, standing up and offering her his hand.

"That would be nice." she replied, standing up and taking his hand.

The pair walked out into the aisle of the train car, walking from one end to the other, and repeating their path several times. Tessa tried to focus on her steps, anything aside from the fact that she could potentially be stuck on this train for much longer than they had intended.

From the corner of her eye, Tessa saw someone pop their head out into the aisle. She noticed it was from the same seat where she had seen the figure she'd previously seen sit.

Curiosity taking the best of her, when she and Jem walked by, she took a glance in and tried to see what was there. However, when she looked, the person was facing away from them.

Jem, noticing Tessa looking in at someone, gave her hand a gentle tug. "Tessa, it's considered a bit rude to stare at people." he whispered.

Tessa offered him an apologetic look, as they kept walking. "Sorry. I just noticed them earlier, and I saw whoever looking at us. I just wanted to know who it was, is all." she explained.

Jem nodded, "I think you might be getting a tad bit paranoid." Jem remarked. "Maybe we should go join Will again?" he suggested.

"I think that would do more good than pacing up and down the train." she said with a nod.

Jem smiled half-heartedly, walking back to their seats.

"Well, how was your romantic walk through the train?" Will asked, sarcasm coating every word.

Jem rolled his eyes, yet had a very amused look on his face, and Tessa couldn't help the slight blush that crept onto her cheeks.

"Will, would you mind taking a break on the sarcasm for a while?" asked Tessa, a light laugh escaping her.

"Oh, just prepare yourselves for the next few hours to be filled with it." he claimed, leaning back against his seat, crossing his arms behind his head with a smirk.

_This will be a long day..._

* * *

**A/N. ****Nope, that's kinda still a cliff-hanger... But not as bad as the last one was... Now _that_ was a cliff-hanger.**

**So, aside from that, how was the chapter? I really was having a hard time writing it, but once I got half way through, I couldn't stop. But, now I have, and you get to wait another 2 weeks, because now I have a bunch of homework because all of my teachers threw me under the bus... I really don't like school... And, I'm off topic... Why does this always happen?! *sigh* Anyways, reviews and that are always greatly appreciated, and hey, if you're enjoying this story, why not add it to your favourites? It would make me so happy... Which is a rare occasion.**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N. Chapter 28, the longest chapter I've ever written for this story... Oh, we got Wessa and Will's broken past feels for everyone! And, you know, whoever in Hell was on the train who was giving Tessa weird vibes will be revealed later on!**

**...and on a low note, an announcement about this story in the bottom A/N.**

* * *

"Oh, just prepare yourselves for the next few hours to be filled with it." he claimed, leaning back against his seat, crossing his arms behind his head with a smirk.

_This will be a long day..._

* * *

Said long day never felt like it would continue moving until the train did, which eventually -an hour and a half later- did. Will wasn't wrong, he did fill most of the time with sarcastic and witty come-backs to anything Jem or Tessa had said to him, however, his heart wasn't in it as much as it usually was. He was distracted, something else was on his mind, and something was on Tessa's too.

She couldn't shake the feeling of the person she'd seen earlier, it was presumably a girl, she was wearing a dress after all, but something about her felt _familiar._ Tessa just wasn't sure what.

Will looked to Tessa, who clearly was deep in thought, he glanced at Jem, who was staring outside the window, looking rather unamused. Looking back at the brunette beauty, he leaned forwards, knowing Jem's attention was completely elsewhere.

Will gently grabbed Tessa's hand, startling her. She jumped and looked to him with a startled look on her face. Realizing it was just Will, and that nothing was happening, she let out a breath, and her face fell to one of calmness.

"Are you alright?" Will asked, running his thumb over the back of her hand.

Tessa nodded, "I am, I just was lost in my own thoughts." she explained.

"You tend to do that," Will said with a chuckle.

"I do, don't I?" she said, a small smile coming to her face.

Brushing a lock of Tessa's hair -which always seemed to slowly fall out- Will glanced at Jem, who was still facing the complete opposite direction, and quickly leaned forwards more, planting a sweet kiss on Tessa's lips. He felt her mouth smile bigger under his.

"What was that for?" she asked, a huge grin on her face.

"I wanted you to know that I still love you, _fy __Tess brydferth._"

Tessa couldn't help but blush, though she had no idea what he said, surely it was something kind, it would be nothing else.

"You are absolutely adorable when you blush." he whispered, only causing Tessa to blush more.

With Will sweet-talking her as much as he was, it gave her butterflies. _Why couldn't he be this sweet to everyone else..._ she wondered.

Looking away from Tessa, Will looked at his _parabatai_, who continued to stare outside of the window.

"Will, do stop staring at me." stated Jem, not even turning his head.

"Pfft, I was simply looking outside. The view, not so lovely." Will observed, "I only wanted to see what you found so interesting about it." he claimed, crossing his arms over his chest, leaning back into his seat.

"As usual, nothing too terribly exciting outside to see." Jem sighed, turning back to face Will.

With a nod, Will shrugged, "I expected nothing more."

Tessa leaned forwards, "nothing's out there? Nothing is following us?" she asked, slight worry in her tone.

Jem furrowed his brows, "of course not. Even the automatons wouldn't be able to keep pace with this train." he proclaimed.

Tessa let out an exhale of relief. It wasn't obvious why she felt so on edge, but the fact that it happened already once this trip, was one thing that was putting her off. That, along with the mysterious girl who Tessa had found herself so drawn to earlier. She still wondered who it was, _what_ she could be...

Upon noticing Tessa's once again distressed expression, Jem couldn't help but reach out his hand, putting it on hers. "Tessa, is something on you mind?" he asked with a curious expression.

"Well, that girl -the one I was looking at earlier- she just... There was something about her that I found familiar, yet completely alien." She let out a sigh, "I can't exactly explain it, I just feel like I have seen her before." she said, a tone of frustration in her voice.

Jem grinned at her, "Tessa, you're probably still tired. You might be seeing things." Jem claimed.

Tessa nodded, "that could be it. Perhaps I should just sleep it off." she suggested.

Jem dropped his hand from hers, leaning back to his seat, "that would be ideal." he stated with a nod.

Tessa leaned back, trying to shut her eyes, but to no avail. She looked to the boys, "would you mind _not_ watching me while I try to sleep? It is just a slight bit unnerving." she claimed, earning a chuckle from Will and a nod from Jem.

"Of course, Tessa." said Jem, turning to Will, and striking up a conversation.

Tessa was lulled to sleep by the train's movements and Jem and Will's voices.

* * *

When Tessa woke, Will had his arms crossed over his chest and his head tucked into his chest. Jem looked on the edge of falling under the peace of sleep as well. She yawned, stretching out her arms, and let out a sigh. With a glance out of the window, it was clouded, it was normal.

Jem noticed Tessa had woken, and tried to bring himself to her attention, "Tessa, did you sleep well?" he asked.

_Jem, _thought Tessa, _always so polite. _"Yes, I did." she said, a smile coming to her lips.

Jem nodded, "you definitely look more awake than before." he said with a light chuckle.

Tessa returned a nod, "I'm sure I do." she claimed.

Her gaze went away from Jem, looking to Will. He looked so at peace, so calm, so_ innocent_. But she knew, when he woke up, he wouldn't be those things. No matter how much she wanted it to be like that, no matter how much she wanted Will to just be _Will_, he wouldn't.

Jem noticed Tessa's eyes on Will. He couldn't help but wonder, what was it about him, that made him act the way he was? Jem had known Will since the day he came to the Institute. Will, the rude boy then, telling Jem he looked as if he were dying, not knowing the truth. He remembered the look in Will's eyes when Jem had said it was true, the first time he had seen Will's more vulnerable side, the side that Will rarely let anyone ever see.

* * *

The train slowed, the station becoming closer each second. Tessa was ready to hop off the train once it stopped, but was still prepared to wait another fifteen minutes before she even were to get off the bloody thing. The train ride hadn't been nearly as awful as Will had described it, however it wasn't as pleasant having to wait several hours before the train would move again.

Will and Jem chatted back and forth as Tessa glanced outside, seeing the station just meters away. The train slowed, and kept slowing until it finally stopped, Will, Jem and Tessa stood, waiting as everyone filed out.

She told Jem and Will go ahead, committed to stay back and find out who the person she'd seen earlier was. Jem nodded, letting her have space, but Will eyed her suspiciously, but not questioning her reasons. The boys walked towards the front, standing with the other passengers whom were eager to get off.

Tessa scanned around the train car, looking for the familiar figure. She locked eyes with a set of deep violet-blue eyes, and just as quickly as she saw them, they looked away. For a split second she thought she saw Will, but realized that he was already infront of her, and she had looked behind. It hit her then.

It was Cecily. She must had followed them.

Not wanting to tell Will, for she knew he wouldn't be all too pleased to have her back, she kept walking, trying to ignore what she'd just seen.

Will, not too far ahead, turned to see Tessa, motionless in the crowd of people, looking around. When she connected eyes with him, she approached him, standing with him and Jem, a nervous feeling coming with her.

"Tess, are you all right?" he asked, his hand finding hers.

She nodded, too quickly at him, avoiding his hand. "I'm fine." she said, glancing up at him, before looking away.

Will shook his head. He always told her that, _'I'm fine'_ but he knew, something was wrong. Just what it was, was an entirely other thing in itself...

* * *

Finally, they got off of the train, and just as quickly as they got off, they gathered their bags and trunks and looked for Cyril. Jem spotted him and just as fast as they found him, they quickly loaded their things up onto their awaiting carriage.

Will hopped in the back, and Jem sat across from him, Tessa took the seat with Will. He looked to her, a smirk on his face.

"What?" she asked, growing mildly self-conscious. When he didn't say anything, she asked again.

Will shook his head, "I never did anything." he claimed, holding his hands up in mock surrender.

"Did you see anything interesting today?" he asked, "perhaps something familiar?" he arched an eyebrow, his voice hinting at something, _what if he already saw Cecily?_

She shook her head, "nothing at all." she said, ignoring the feeling at the back of her mind, _should I tell him, or keep it to myself?_ she wondered.

Will nodded, "interesting." he said, indifferently.

* * *

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they all arrived back at the institute, everyone filed out of the carriage, going to the back to unload their things. Jem offered to carry Tessa's trunk, which she refused for he already had enough to carry for himself. Will, however, walked straight into the institute, not even bothering to help them.

Jem and Tessa slowly managed to bring all of their own things, along with Will's inside before he showed back up.

"All is going well, I assume?" he asked, watching as Tessa and Jem glared at him with unamused expressions.

"All was well until you took off, leaving Tessa and I to carry all of your things -which are unusually heavy." said Jem.

Will shrugged, "I do pack precautions." he said, casually.

"And by _'precautions'_ you mean excessive weapons?"

"Enough." Tessa interjected. "Can we just bring our things up to our rooms and be done with this?"

"Fine, but I expect to see you for diner." said Will, grabbing his things and walking off without another word.

Tessa and Jem did the same, walking towards their rooms together.

* * *

**A/N. Dammit Cecily... Why must she be so... Be such a...Why must she be such a Herondale?! She never gives up, what Cecily wants, Cecily gets... *Z-formation finger snaps, head swerve, "mmhmm"* That was just weird... No, that was just me...**

**So, any suggestions, I am very open for... Also, I've had a few people ask me when I intend on ending this story, and almost feel like they are disappointed how long this has been. Sorry that I try and put detail into my chapters and not rush them too much from one thing to another. But, I get it, this story is really long, and the chapters are kind of short...**

**I really do feel like I'm more or less losing inspiration for this, but not because I've lost interest, but because I have a new story idea... I want to end this story, but don't want to jump to the point. I came into this story knowing how I wanted to end it, and here I am, 28 chapters later, and I still have a lot I want to happen before I end it when I do... I've looked back and realized that by comparison to many other stories, most of these chapters aren't that long... I probably will be making chapters longer, and totally abandon my update schedule, and just update whenever I have a new chapter ready. I really am sorry to anyone who's bothered by it, but I feel like this story is too many chapters, and the chapters are really short; I hope to make them longer, and I will now be updating whenever possible. I just have problems with this story, trying to move one from something in my life, something that plays a big enough part in this story. And, I just have other things to concentrate on in life right now, I'm totally rambling and making excuses right now, but I really need a bit of a break from this story... So, it will be on a temporary Hiatus until I can write enough to kick the story back into motion.**

**I know I've said it about a million times, but I'll say it again: I'm sorry to have to put this story off. But, in no way does this mean I am cancelling the story. I will finish what I've started.**

* * *

**-Translations- (once again, Welsh: still not my first or second language... or even my third... It's my fourth. I hope my translations were right...)**

**_"...fy T__ess brydferth." _****_\- _"my beautiful Tess."**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N. Okay, so here we have chapter 29. That's a lot of chapters. Umm... so I remember people suggesting jealousy feels... so... I wrote some jelly feels!  
**

**Oh, and, yeah, finally a chapter! I've broken_ slightly_ through those walls that I built around this story, and hope to be able to get back to a steady flow of writing it eventually, hopefully sooner than later. Sorry it took, like, two months. I just... Life happens and it's a bitch. I love this story, and I love all the things people say in their reviews for it. I expect to keep this going, and I hope everyone enjoys this chapter!**

* * *

"Enough." Tessa interjected. "Can we just bring our things up to our rooms and be done with this?"

"Fine, but I expect to see you for diner." said Will, grabbing his things and walking off without another word.

Tessa and Jem did the same, walking towards their rooms together.

When they got to the hallway outside of their rooms, they stopped to talk for awhile, "was the train what you expected?" Jem asked, a grin on his face.

Tessa let out a little laugh, "more or less." she said, returning a smile.

"Glad it wasn't too terrible." he said, dropping his bags in front of his door, and stepping closer to Tessa.

She shifted as he neared her, "not terrible at all." she whispered.

"Tessa, do you have any plans this evening?" he asked, stepping another step closer to Tessa.

By instinct she took another step back, and was now against the wall. "I don't think I do, why?" she asked, feeling nervous.

Jem smiled, "I was going to ask you, would you mind accompanying me in a walk later?"

Tessa was ready to instantly say yes, but then the thoughts of Will came to her mind. She wondered what his reaction would be if she went out with Jem. However, they were only going for a walk. It wouldn't hurt too much, could it? "I would love to." she said with a smile.

Jem nodded, his smile growing "great." he said, "I will meet you after diner right here then." he stated. "Only if that's alright with you." he added.

Tessa smiled and nodded. "I'll be here." she said, quickly pecking his cheek as she turned back to her door, going inside and shutting the door behind her. She sunk back against the door, a smile on her face. She felt brave, she felt proud of herself. She felt real.

* * *

Jem put his hand to his cheek. It happened so quickly, he almost didn't believe that it even did. _Tessa kissed me..._ he thought. He hadn't ever been kissed by a girl. Or anyone, save his parents when he was a young child -but that never counts.

He dropped his hands, turning on his heels to go to his own door, opening it and entering. The door shut, and he dropped onto his bed. The last two minute replaying through his mind. He almost hadn't expected her to say yes to coming -her and Will had been oddly close for the two of them- but when she did, he knew, this was more than just a walk this time. It was time alone with Tessa, _it was time alone with the girl he loved._

* * *

Will threw his things into his room, before stalking out, going towards Tessa's room.

He was cut short, hearing her and Jem conversing in the hall. Will pulled to the side of the hall way, seeing Tessa smile, and Jem smile back in a way he'd rarely seen him smile towards anyone but himself.

Will watched them, waiting for the pair to part ways so he could visit Tessa without Jem being in the way.

Nothing, could prepare Will for what he was about to see. There was a brief pause between them, before Tessa leaned forwards and kissed Jem.

She stole away to her room quickly after she did, shutting the door behind herself. And Jem, he stood in the hall, temporarily paralyzed by what had happened. He moved his hand to his cheek where Tessa had put her lips, it took awhile before Jem moved again, and when he did, it was to swiftly return to his own chambers, shutting his door behind himself.

Will couldn't bring himself to stalk down the hall and throw open Jem's door, nor Tessa's. Jem didn't deserve his anger, he wouldn't even know what he did wrong. But Tessa, she knew what she did; but that didn't mean she should be punished for it. It wasn't her fault she couldn't contain her love to one sole person.

Maybe Will wasn't what she needed.

No matter what Will told himself, he knew he couldn't go to either of them right now. He needed time to himself, time to cool down before he did anything he might regret...

* * *

Tessa took her time, unpacking her things, before she exited her room, going down to the dining room. They had meant to be back for lunch, but thanks to the train's unexplained stopping, they had come home later than expected.

As Tessa walked, she couldn't help but think of Will. She had thought he'd said he would come see her after they had arrived home, but perhaps it was just something she had imagined. She wondered if he would be angry with her if she told him that her and Jem were going out without him._ But, it shouldn't matter, _she told herself_, it shouldn't matter what Will thinks. I should be allowed to do what I want to. Without upsetting him. _

Her thoughts were cut short by Jem appearing at her side. "Hello." he said, as his steps fell into pace with hers.

"Hello." she said back, with a warm smile.

Jem's smile grew slightly. "How has your day been?" he asked, trying to start conversation.

Tessa grinned at him, "it's been rather slow, but I do think the walk after dinner will add some spark to this otherwise boring day." she said, rounding a corner with Jem.

"I do hope it will." he said, as they came near the dining room.

He pushed the door open slightly more, gesturing for Tessa to enter. He walked in after her, both of them taking seats, leaving one in-between them both.

Soon enough, that spot was filled when Will came in. He looked to Jem and smiled, and to Tessa and did the same. He reached for her hand under the table, but she pulled them away, out of his reach.

It wasn't something she planned to do, but she did. A feeling washed over her, a feeling that made her want to keep to herself. She wasn't sure why, she just knew holding his hand under the table just didn't feel right.

Will, noticing she wasn't accepting him, pulled his own hand back. He turned to Jem and struck up a conversation, even though all that he wanted at the moment was Tessa.

She would almost say she felt bad for denying him the small gesture, but in honesty, Tessa felt as if it wouldn't matter whether or not her hand was in his.

But to Will, it was more than a small rejection. Perhaps he was overreacting? Maybe she just needed both hands... But she had held his the past few times. He was looking too deep into this, but maybe there was a deeper message to it, maybe not. He hoped there wasn't, but couldn't shake the feeling something else was going on.

Jem could hear a slight wavering in Will's voice as they talked, he seemed unusually on edge about something, he just wasn't sure what.

Charlotte cleared her throat at the head of the table, "welcome back," she stated, hoping to get their attention. "I do hope that you managed to gather any information." she said, looking between the three.

Will and Jem exchanged a look, while Tessa shuddered.

"Definitely not as much as we wished," Will muttered.

Will and Jem continued to talk to Charlotte about the trip, but Tessa shut it out. She didn't want to think much of it, especially the spoils. Though she wasn't listening, she noticed how Will failed to mention Cecily during the conversation. She figured that it was a rather sensitive topic, but couldn't see exactly why he didn't bring it up. Mortmain knew where his family was, but he didn't seem to realize how dangerous that was.

* * *

Once everyone ate up and cleared out, Tessa remained in her seat. She was aware of Will lingering by the door. When she did decide to get up, he pulled her to the side, despite the fact that they were the only people in the room. "Are you all right, Tess?" he asked, his voice low.

Tessa nodded, "I'm fine," she said with a slight smile.

Will shook his head, "Tessa don't play this game with me," he said sternly. "Please tell me what's wrong," he asked, his tone soft.

Tessa sighed, her gaze falling to the floor. "Nothing is wrong, but there is much that is not right. It's not either really." Her tone was quiet, but to Will, it was loud and clear.

"Tessa," Will sighed, "I want to help you, truly I do, however it's not easy when you remain quiet about your problems."

"I don't have any problems!" Tessa exclaimed.

Despite the obvious lie, Will stopped talking. "Fine. I see you don't want me around," he sighed, "enjoy your evening with Jem." Will turned on his heels and began walking away.

Tessa stood, dumbfounded at his words. Surely he hadn't seen anything, right? There was a slight chance he might have over heard them talking earlier, but Tessa hoped that he hadn't seen anything if he was near. She knew, if he did, nothing good would be to come.

* * *

**A/N. Oooooooooh, Will's gettin' jealous! And Tessa's so conflicted... and ahh! Everything's just... omg... I can't. Sorry this chapter was kind of short... I just wanted to get the ball rolling again. I will get to writing the next chapter soon, and hopefully have it up as soon as I can... But I've been very busy, getting to the end of the school year, finals to study for and all that shit that no one likes... I wish I could write more than I do, but I have so many things to do! Either way, I will try my best to find time to write and update this story.  
**


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N. By the Angel, it's been a really long time since I've updated. I'm really sorry about the lack of updates. I'm pretty sure everyone's stopped reading. That's okay, I would too. I've grown to dislike this story very much. Not because I don't like the story itself, just because it's tied to so much personally that I'm trying to change. I just... I had a lot going on in my head when I started this story. I was suffering so much and lately, it's been coming back. I doubt anyone's even reading this note, but oh well. **

**Anyways, here's the new chapter, I hope you like it! And yay, we've reached chapter 30! That's a lot of chapters! I am intending on ending this story so that I don't end up dragging it out so much. And here's a hint to something... Despite what you may think, this will not change any of the events of _Clockwork Princess. _It is placed after _Clockwork Angel_, and during _Clockwork Prince._ I see how that must sound confusing, but when we get to the end, it won't be so odd. Also, a lot sort of happens all at once during this story... So, brace for impact!  
**

* * *

Despite the obvious lie, Will stopped talking. "Fine. I see you don't want me around," he sighed, "enjoy your evening with Jem." Will turned on his heels and began walking away.

Tessa stood, dumbfounded at his words. Surely he hadn't seen anything, right? There was a slight chance he might have over heard them talking earlier, but Tessa hoped that he hadn't seen anything if he was near. She knew, if he did, nothing good would be to come.

Tessa shook it off and continued her walking, she needed to clear her head a little before she went out. Hurrying to her room, Tessa went in and shut her door behind her, more like slammed. She could feel the frustration growing, but wasn't entirely sure why it was there. _It was Will, he's always been like that before_. she told herself. And it was true. Will had always acted rather odd around her, but then, that was before she knew how he _really_ felt about her. She felt so confused. She didn't want him to be so attached to her that it impacted how he was when she was around other people. _But you kissed another person!_ the little voice in her head shouted at her.

Collapsing on the floor, Tessa pulled her knees into her chest. She rested her head on her knees and took deep breaths, willing the overwhelming thoughts to go away. She wasn't going to cry about something that she saw as so stupid. Will loved her, she knew it. However, there were some days that she wasn't sure. The thoughts ran rampant in her mind, she felt tears stinging the backs of her eyes, she tried to hold them in, to suppress them a little longer.

* * *

Jem had been in his room, and pacing nervously. _Tessa was really coming with me. Alone._ he thought to himself. He had fallen for her once he saw her beautiful face. He'd never thought love at first sight was possible, but it was. Especially when the sight is the most gorgeous thing you've seen. He was nervous, he didn't know what to say. Would it be too soon if he kissed her again? _Of course it would!_ he mentally yelled at himself. _But it felt amazing,_ Jem thought of her soft lips against his, seeing her eyes just before they drifted shut as they kissed. It was the most amazing experience of his life. He wouldn't want to pass up another opportunity, say, if he were to get the chance.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a door slam. It must've been Tessa's, the door sounded too close to be anybody else's. He got up and contemplated going to check, see if she was all right. He then considered why he should, it was just a door slam. But, it did make it seem like she was angry. Jem went over and opened his own door. _If there are any other hints that something is bothering her, go check._ he decided.

He stood at his opened door for several minutes, nothing coming from the halls. He took another step closer to Tessa's door and could hear her weeping softly. His heart sunk, he wanted to waltz in, sweep her into his arms and protect her from all the unkind forces in this world.

Deciding to make a bold move, Jem knocked on her door. He heard Tessa gasp, and her voice shake as she announced: "Will, go away."

Jem, confused, shook his head, despite her not being able to see him. "It's Jem," he said, taking a step back. "Tessa, would you please open the door?" he asked, his voice soft.

There was some shuffling in her room, and then the door opened a crack. He pushed the door open further, and stepped into the dimly lit room. He looked inside, and saw Tessa standing a few meters away. "Tessa, are you all right?"

She shook her head, "I don't know, Jem."

He sighed, grabbing her hands, "what was it that you said about Will earlier? Has he bothered you?"

Tessa tensed, she was at a loss for words. _How much does he know?_ she wondered. Pulling back her hands to wipe the tears from her eyes with he back of her hand, she sighed, "Will is just a complicated person. You would know better than I."

Jem let out a soft chuckle. "Do you remember what I said to you before? When Will is annoying me to the extreme, I enjoy going on walks, clear my mind, imagine things that I could do to him, but never would," Jem proclaimed, a light smile appearing on his lips.

Tessa smiled weakly at his comment, "yes, I do remember. Shall we go then?" She took one of his hands in hers as she asked. Jem replied in a simple nod, as the pair went to the door, and down the halls, on their way out.

* * *

He couldn't believe his eyes. Tessa and Jem. Leaving. _Together_. And the most horrific part of it: they were holding hands. The only thing about this that confused Will even more, was that he couldn't wipe the slight smile off of his face, _maybe it's better this way..._ a little voice in the back of his head claimed, making him wish to silence it while banging it against a wall. He considered running out after them, or even following them, but turned against it. _Just let them be, _the little voice came back, trying to reason with Will's fiery temper.

With a sigh, he walked away from the windows in the library, where you could always see anything and everything. Will approached one of the many book shelves, and pulled one out at random. The cover read: _Demon Summoning_. He hadn't ever known such a book to exist, he found it to be rather peculiar to be sitting on the shelves in the Institute.

With curiosity taking the better of him, he had opened and flipped through the pages. A shock came when he noticed that most of the pages were blank. Halfway through the book was another section printed inside. The title read _'Curses'_ He felt intrigued. If he could break this curse, he wouldn't have to hide anymore. He was already worried that he had done too much, but if he could break this... He would be free at last.

Reading through it, he had known that he would need to find the demon who had laid the curse upon him in order to break it, but he had nowhere that he could set up a pentagram to casually summon a demon without invoking curious bystanders in the Institute or out on the streets. However, he knew a warlock that could help his needs.

* * *

Magnus was relaxing, casually flipping through the pages of a book when a knock at the door disturbed him. He ignored to, only to hear it knock again, this time more impatiently. With a sigh, he stood up, and went over to open the door.

A very flustered Will Herondale barged inside without a welcome, a book in hand. "Magnus, I need your help."

"Well, hello to you too. I would say come inside, get comfortable, but I see you've already done that." Magnus rolled his eyes, "I was busy, you know. What do you want?" he asked, growing tired already.

Will went to where Magnus had been sitting prior, picking up his book, "yes, very busy." He threw it back down, "please, Magnus. I need this," Will pleaded, Magnus approaching him, his arms crossed over his chest.

"My, my, so desperate. Say, does this have anything to do with the friend of yours whom has a curse?" Magnus asked, arching an eyebrow. Will flinched at the question, and Magnus laughed, "and by friend, I mean yourself. I am not so foolish to believe your lies." He snatched the book from Will's hands, observing the cover. "_Demon Summoning._ An interesting spell book to be owned by Shadowhunters," Magnus claimed, studying the pages, flipping through it.

Will let out a groan of frustration. "Magnus, please," he ran a hand through his raven black hair. "I need help."

Magnus took a thoughtful look at the Shadowhunter. "So, you want to summon a demon?" he asked perplexed.

Will nodded, "yes. I want to break this curse. I want Tess-" Will shut his mouth the moment he said her name. Magnus didn't need to know why.

With a sly expression, Magnus chuckled, "I see," Magus smirked, stepping over closer to Will. "The things we do for love, eh Herondale?" Magnus let out another chuckle, "though I don't think I have ever summoned a demon for love..."

Will shook his head at the warlock, "will you help me or not?" he asked, growing annoyed.

With a moment's hesitation, Magnus nodded, "I will."

Will sighed in relief. "Thank you, Magnus."

"But," Magnus began, "on one condition." he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Will nodded his head causing his hair to fall into his face. He brushed it to the side with his hand, before speaking. "Anything. Magnus, name your price."

Will was desperate for this, and it was clear in his eyes. Magnus could see it, and he knew that he would do anything for the poor young man. "I want you to tell me, what exactly this curse is, and how it all happened." Will's face fell, but before he could speak, Magus continued. "Then, and only then, will I help you."

Torn, Will froze. He hadn't even told his own _parabatai_ about this story. He had never told a loving soul. But he knew that if he could break it, not a single thing would get in his way anymore.

* * *

**A/N. OMG I FINALLY WROTE A CHAPTER! GUYS I AM SO SORRY I TOOK FOREVER TO WRITE!**

**No more yelling, I got that point across... Reviews would be amazing... And I ended this with a cliffie... You know what that means? I already know how the next chapter will go, and I will hopefully have it up sooner than later! I've figured out what I want for this story, and I really am better. I am so so so so so sorry for not updating... I've been very mentally unwell for the past few months and to my own embarrassment, have dodged going to the hospital several times since... I am getting better though, for those of you who are curious! And, I actually wrote the note at the top awhile ago.. It's true.. I love/hate it. But, I'm finding the love for this story again, and intend on ending it soon actually! The chapters will be a bit longer, and intense! So prepare for that! I am so glad to be back writing this story! I love you guys!  
**


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N. And here it is! Chapter 31! I actually posted a new chapter! That's like, a pretty good streak of posting since... March... yikes, it's been a long time since I've really had a decent posting schedule... Anyways, this chapter is a huge flashback to Will's childhood, if you couldn't already tell by how the last chapter ended. This is the longest chapter that I've posted for this story, by the way... but I mean, it's pretty intense, so, brace yourselves for it! I really hope that you guys enjoy reading this chapter!  
**

* * *

Will was desperate for love, and it was clear in his eyes. Magnus could see it, and he knew that he would do anything for the poor young man. "I want you, to tell me, what exactly this curse is and how it all happened." Will's face fell, but before he could speak, Magus continued. "Then, and only then, will I help you."

Torn, Will froze. He hadn't even told his own _parabatai_ about this story. He had never told a loving soul. But he knew that if he could break it, not a single thing would get in his way anymore.

Will took a deep breath. "It was back in my home in Wales..." he began, the events beginning to flow through his mind as he spoke.

* * *

_*Wales, 1873*_

It was another make-believe duel between Will and Ella. Cecily sat by, playing the princess that Ella, an evil queen, and Will, a noble knight, were battling over. Cecily watched in awe as her siblings 'fought' with each other, the trio laughing as the game progressed.

Their little game ended when their mother called Cecily to the kitchen. Will and Ella remained upstairs, watching their little sister bolt out of the room, excited. Cecily had always loved helping their mother when she could. It was quite a cute thing, she was like her shadow.

After their little sister disappeared, Will pitched the idea of exploring the attic, saying that he had heard their dad had some of his old weapons, and Shadowhunter things up there.

"I don't know, _Gwilym._ We should not touch it, we hardly know what most of it is." Ella said, crossing her arms, shaking her head at her brother.

"Oh, Ella, it would be fun! I promise that I won't touch any of the weapons, I just want to see them!" Will explained, "Ella, it's not as if we have never seen most of it, I just want to look at them closer this time," he said, trying to persuade his sister to join him.

With a sigh, Ella gave in, "fine, Will. But if Mam and Dad get angry with us, it is not my fault," Ella insisted.

Will nodded, listening to his sister. She wasn't one to cause much trouble, and Will would take the blame, considering it was his idea to start with.

The siblings made their way up to the dank, musty attic. They each grabbed an end of one of the larger trunks their father had, and brought it down to the library. They passed their father, who gave them a curious look before continuing walking through the hallways. Will snickered, surprised that they managed to get away with carrying such a big through the hallway without invoking questioning. They had thought he had an idea, but had figured what they had wasn't dangerous in any way of the word.

When Will and Ella were in the library, their favourite room, they put the trunk down, opening it. Inside where so many thing they hadn't seen before. There was different sets of gear, all of it black. There were what they could only describe to be something that looked like a wand, but the tip appeared to be made of crystal with a leather bound base. There were some long, and some shorter, cylindrical blades that were also made of the crystal-like stuff that had also a leather bound handle on it. And what intrigued Will most was a small box, a keyhole on the front, and he thought he could see a key sitting in the bottom of the trunk. He also saw several throwing knives, sharper than anything he'd seen before.

He was about to reach for one when Ella grabbed his wrist, glaring at him, "Will, don't touch the knives," she scolded. "You promised not to touch the weapons," she reminded, releasing her grip on him.

"But Ella, I want to see what else is in here and I can't unless I move them," Will pointed out. He went to gently grab them, and lay them down on the carpet beside the trunk. He moved the crystal-like blades, and reached in for the box, "what is this?" he asked, looking to Ella.

She shook her head, "I don't know, Will. I don't think it can be too safe, considering it's been locked away in a box for years. Be careful with it, Will," Ella advised, gently taking the box from his hands and setting it on the floor next to them.

Just then, Cecily came running in through the doors. She completely ignored the fact that her older siblings had busted out their father's old things and went to Ella, "Ellie, Mama wants your help in the kitchen for a minute!" she exclaimed, using the nickname she had for Ella that was scarcely used anymore, taking her sister's hand.

Ella got up and looked down at her little sister, "tell Mam I will be there in a minute," she said, while Cecily shook her head.

"No, Mama wants you _now_," Cecily affirmed, being sure to be clear with her words.

"All right," she said, then looking back to Will. "Don't break anything," she warned, as she walked out with her little sister.

Will nodded, watching his sisters leave. He looked inside the trunk and looked around for the key to the small box. He didn't know why, but he was so drawn to the box and to know what was inside it. He always had a fascination of the unknown and to see what was inside the box.

After enough digging around, Will had manages to find the key. Part of him didn't want to open it, but the other part of him did. _It's just an old box… what could be so dangerous about it?_ Will asked himself. He had the key in one hand, the box in another, but still not ready to open it. He knew Ella would be back soon, and he decided that he would wait for her.

He didn't wait for long, as he could hear Ella's footsteps coming down the long hallway. He had grown impatient, and was already putting the key in the lock. Once he saw Ella come into the room, he turned the key, opening the box.

He was disappointed as he didn't see anything in it, only some dust and ashes. Ella was at the other end of the room when Will looked back to her. It didn't take long for the ashes and dust to begin swirling around inside the box, turning into a small cyclone of smoke and ashes.

Afraid, Will threw the box to the ground, staggering back and standing up to look at the box as it shook and spilled out the smoke, piling into the shape of a figure. A disembodied hiss was let out, _"Herondale…" _it drawled, the voice like a whisper in the dark.

Will let out a scream, and Ella ran over, standing in front of him, putting herself between the box and her brother. Will stepped out to look beside her, seeing a blue scaly creature with deep scarlet eyes, a tinge of yellow on its long spiked tail. It was short in stature, but it was absolutely menacing. Will was quivering in fear behind his sister, he didn't care that this would be seen as a childish behaviour for what was happening in the current moment outweighed that.

Ella, on the other hand, was standing tall and brave, protecting her brother. Somehow, within the chaos she had picked up one of the crystal-swords. She had it pointed towards the blue creature, determination in her eyes, "what are you?" she asked.

The beast gave no words, but a feeling was drifting around the room, the air around them seemed to speak as the word _demon _drifted by them. Will was still stunned in shock, and at the words drifting through the air, he clutched the side of Ella's dress. She still stood strong, and how she did it was beyond Will. "What do you want?" she demanded, keeping the blade trained on the demon.

It walked in a wide circle, looking to Will, _"who are you?" _it hissed.

Will let go of his sister and stood up straight, looking up to his sister who shook her head, "you don't need to know, answer us first, _what do you want?"_ Ella repeated.

_"Herondalessss, I can sssee it,"_ the demon mused, dragging out its 's's the way a snake hissed. The demon swiftly moved so that Will was now standing several meters from it, Ella behind them, _"a young Herondale boy… You will do." _

The demon lunged forwards at Will, but Ella pushed her little brother back, standing infront of the demon. "Don't hurt him," Ella cried, holding the blade with a strong grip, shielding Will.

The demon creeped around the side, muttering to Will in a way that sent shivers down his spine, _"everyone that you love, will be dead, dying a great death. I will be waiting for them…"_

Will was frozen, fear consuming every bone in his body. He couldn't move, and the demon was getting closer. Ella, was behind Will, pulling him up as he stood close to her. Ella had the blade raised in her hands, trying to look as threatening as she could, despite not being a skilled swordswoman.

_"It will begin with her"_ the demon hissed as its tail whipped around and struck Ella; she let out a scream as she was sent plummeting to the ground.

"Ella!" Will cried, dropping to his knees beside his sister.

She sat up and shook her head, "I'm all right, Will," she said, looking to her brother's concerned face. Will's breath became shallow and he began to shake. It was an unusual thing for Will to show so much fear. Ella wrapped her arms around her brother, scanning the room for the demon. She looked just quick enough to see it slide out of the window. She also saw her mother, father and sister standing in the doorway of the library.

"Will, Ella, what happened!?" he demanded, rushing over to them.

"I'm sorry Dad," Will muttered, keeping his face away from his father, "I just wanted to see what was in there."

Soon, their mother had joined them, Cecily trailed close behind. Ella saw her mother say something to her father, too quiet for her to hear, and soon he grabbed one of the crystal-swords, and took off.

Cecily, confused, looked up at her mother for an answer as to what happened. She simply bent down and spoke to her gently is Welsh, kissing her forehead and sending her off to stay in her room.

Will felt his mother wrap her arms around him and Ella, holding them close, _"popeth yn iawn, chi yw yn ddiogel,"_ she whispered, kissing the top of both of their heads, _"chi yw yn ddiogel."_

When the three stood, Ella swayed gently, leaning into her mother. Will himself was still trying to process what had happened, and the thoughts were beginning to overwhelm him.

Ella had brought him to his room, and he climbed into his bed, earlier than usual. She brushed back the hair from his forehead in a motherly gesture, kissing his forehead. "Will, it's all right," she whispered.

Will nodded his head, "are you? Are you all right, Ella?" he asked, looking up at her.

She nodded, "I will be fine, _Gwilym._ You need to rest. I do too. I'm tired too." She kissed his forehead one last time before bidding him a goodnight and shutting the door behind her.

* * *

Will finished his story, looking up at Magnus. "Ella was dead when I woke up. The demon was right. And I fled my home after," he continued. "I couldn't stay. I didn't want anyone else to die because of me."

"Will, I truly am sorry about what happened," Magnus said, "I will try to help you, I will try to find the demon."

"Thank you, Magnus. Thank you so much," Will nodded. He sighed, and watched Magnus take the summoning book and put it down on a table, "when will you be able to find it?" Will asked.

Magnus shrugged, "as long as it takes me. You say he was short, and blue. That narrows it down to…" Magnus paused, taking a thoughtful look, "oh, I don't know, about a couple thousand demons? This isn't an easy thing, William."

Will nodded, trying his best to understand. "I can't be out long, I wish to get back to the Institute,"

"And why on Earth would William Herondale wish to avoid being suspicious?" Magnus asked, curiously looking to the dark-haired boy.

Will scoffed, "I can say to the least that it does not concern you. Please, have that demon and alert me at once when you do." Will informed, turning towards the door. "Really, Magnus, I must be going, but thank you for the help."

And with that, Will left. Magnus was left to watch the door fall shut. He sat down, putting his head in his hands, _"what have I gotten myself into…"_

* * *

**A/N. SH!T IS GOING DOWN! And, before all the reviewers start calling me out, the 'crystal-like swords' are indeed seraph blades. That just happened to be the best way I could think to describe them. Also, the 'wand-like' thing was a stele. I hope you guys like this. I know that this isn't exactly how it happened, I kinda let my imagination just run wild with this... I really really do hope that you guys liked it though!  
**

**Reviews are always appreciated!**

**Here are the translations, you guys know the drill, I am not a fluent Welsh speaker, and it's one of the several languages I am studying, so I apologize if the Welsh translating is off/incorrect!  
**

_**"popeth yn iawn, chi yw yn ddiogel," -**_** "Everything is all right, you are safe,"**_  
_


	32. AN: IMPORTANT

**I am very sorry to announce that my stories are most likely not going to be wrapped up or finished anytime soon. I am almost certain that nobody even reads them anymore, and I want to thank everyone who did read them, for reviewing, and for sticking around for however long you did. **

**I changed how I wanted some of my stories to go, and some people don't seem to really like it. I'm sorry, but I wanted to write for myself, and now that I changed it up people haven't really liked it as much. I apologise for my lack of updates over the past while. **

**For those of you that know me, I've been through a lot in the past few years and I wrote to escape that pain. But now, it's different. I'm not saying that it's much better, but it's still not perfect. I want to finish these stories because I hate leaving things without an ending. But you guys can imagine up one, or maybe tell me some ideas, and I'll try to figure something out. I am truly sorry that I fucked up again. **

**My work load for school is way too much at the moment, and I will nt be able to write for quite some time. I will (at least try to) be getting back into writing for these stories in December / January. Over winter break, I hope to be able to write more and finish these stories.  
**

**However, I have also been debating removing all my in progress stories, and re-writing them in better detail and to remove all, if any, plot holes, and connect the small details that I may have brushed over, and re-uploading the stories. If anyone is for or against the idea, please let me know in a review. I may just re-upload the story, and leave the original ones up for the sake of old reference to see how my writing has changed, and to keep a bit of nostalgia for myself so that I can remember the good old days of when I used to write on a somewhat regular schedule.**

**I am very sorry for this long drawn out note, but I just needed to say this to clear up any questions anyone may have had at some point as to why I haven't uploaded in a long time. I really want to write still, but I am never finding time or inspiration as of recently to do so. I hope to get back into writing soon, but I cannot promise any updates until at least December.  
**

**Despite all of this, ****I will try to post the occasional one-shot. I take requests on my tumblr. Same username as I have here: magicandsparklez . tumblr . com ((w/o spaces)) Feel free to send in a prompt if you want to!  
**

_***I have posted this note to all of my stories that are in progress, so not every word applies to each story in particular. But the fact that I will not be writing on these stories for awhile is true for them all***_

**Thanks for sticking around, but this will be the end for awhile until I find time and ideas of what to write again,**

**-Shaun**


End file.
